Promoting Water Conservation in Multi-Family Housing, 1892-1893 [05-499]

Download as PDF 1892 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 7 / Tuesday, January 11, 2005 / Notices EPA half of the savings realized by such refinancing up to an additional $1.3 million. If the setting parties do not refinance their secured debt within three years after the Agreement becomes final they will pay EPA an additional $150,000 in twelve month installments. For thirty (30) days following the date of publication of this notice, EPA will accept written comments relating to the proposed Agreement. The Agency’s response to any comments received will be available for public inspection at the Superfund Records Center at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII, 999 18th Street, Denver, Colorado 80202. Availability: The proposed Agreement is available for public inspection at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII, 999 18th Street, Denver, Colorado 80202. A copy of the proposed Agreement may be obtained from Carol Pokorny, Enforcement Specialist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII, 999 18th Street, Suite 300, 8ENF–RC, Denver, Colorado 80202. Comments should reference the ‘‘Camelot Cleaners West Fargo Superfund Site’’ and should be forwarded to Carol Pokorny, Enforcement Specialist, at the above address. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrea Madigan, Enforcement Attorney, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII, 999 18th Street, Suite 300, ENF-L Denver, Colorado 80202. Dated: January 3, 2005. It is so agreed: Carol Rushin, Assistant Regional Administrator, Office of Enforcement, Compliance, and Environmental Justice, Region 8. [FR Doc. 05–498 Filed 1–10–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [Docket: OW–2004–0039; FRL–7860–3] Promoting Water Conservation in Multi-Family Housing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Request for comment. AGENCY: SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public comment on water metering and billing systems that promote full cost and conservation pricing to achieve water conservation within the drinking water industry. In addition, EPA seeks information on ways that residential and commercial water users, and VerDate jul<14>2003 18:16 Jan 10, 2005 Jkt 205001 drinking water utilities can reduce water use and promote water conservation. Comments must be received on or before March 14, 2005. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No.OW–2004– 0039, by one of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments. • Agency Web site: https:// www.epa.gov/edocket. EDOCKET, EPA’s electronic public docket and comment system, is EPA’s preferred method for receiving comments. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments. • E-mail: Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to OWDocket@epa.gov. Attention Docket ID No. OW–2004–0039. • Mail: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. OW–2004–0039. Please include a total of three (3) copies. • Hand Delivery: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, (EPA/DC) EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. Attention Water Docket ID No. OW– 2004–0039. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket’s normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. OW–2004–0039. EPA’s policy is that all comments received will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available online at https://www.epa.gov/ edocket, including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through EDOCKET, regulations.gov, or e-mail. The EPA EDOCKET and the Federal regulations.gov Web sites are ‘‘anonymous access’’ systems, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without going through EDOCKET or regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you DATES: PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 include your name and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional information about EPA’s public docket visit EDOCKET on-line or see the Federal Register of May 31, 2002 (67 FR 38102). Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the EDOCKET index at https://www.epa.gov/edocket. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not 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 Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center, (EPA/DC) 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 telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 566–1744, and the telephone number for the Water Docket is (202) 566–2426. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information please contact Sarah Koppel by phone at (202) 564–3859, or by e-mail at koppel.sarah@epa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. General Information A. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA? 1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through EDOCKET, regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark the part or all of the information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or CD ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD ROM as CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD ROM the specific information that is claimed as CBI). In addition to one complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket. Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2. E:\FR\FM\11JAN1.SGM 11JAN1 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 7 / Tuesday, January 11, 2005 / Notices 2. Tips for Preparing Your Comments. When submitting comments, remember to: i. Identify the action by docket number and other identifying information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number). ii. Follow directions—The agency may ask you to respond to specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number. iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and substitute language for your requested changes. iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information and/ or data that you used. v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be reproduced. vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns, and suggest alternatives. vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of profanity or personal threats. viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period deadline identified. B. Background of Final Revised Policy On December 23, 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final memorandum in the Federal Register (68 FR 74233) that outlined its revised policy regarding regulatory requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for properties that submeter for water usage. Through the revised policy memorandum, as a way to promote full cost and conservation pricing to achieve water conservation, the EPA changed its long standing interpretation of SDWA section 1411 as it applies to submetered properties. Under the revised policy, a property owner who had not previously been (or would not be) subject to SDWA national primary drinking water regulations through SDWA section 1411, and who installs submeters to accurately track usage of water by tenants on his or her property, will not then be subject to SDWA regulations solely as a result of taking the action to submeter and bill. EPA took this action because the Agency believed that water submetering promotes water conservation. The data and information available to EPA in December of 2003 did not show that allocated billing systems, such as ratio utility billing systems (RUBS) and hot water hybrid (HWH) systems, would promote water conservation. Therefore, EPA did not VerDate jul<14>2003 17:22 Jan 10, 2005 Jkt 205001 1893 include other billing systems in the final revised policy. The findings of a new two-year study of water billing practices in the multifamily residential sector, released on August 30, 2004, show the water conservation benefits of submetering. The study was conducted by Aquacraft, Inc. of Boulder, Colorado, the National Research Center, and Potomac Resources. The study underwent extensive peer review and was sponsored by EPA, National Apartment Association, National Multi Housing Council, City of Austin, City of Phoenix, City of Portland, City of Tucson, Denver Water Department, East Bay Municipal Utility District, San Antonio Water System, San Diego County Water Authority, Seattle Public Utilities, and Southern Nevada Water Authority. A copy of the study can be accessed at EPA Docket ID No. OW–2004–0039. The study showed that ‘‘Submetering was found to achieve statistically significant water savings of 15.3 percent (21.8 gal/ day/unit) compared to traditional inrent properties after correcting for factors * * *’’ In addition, ‘‘This study found no evidence that Ratio Utility Billing Systems (RUBS) reduced water use by a statistically significant amount compared with traditional in-rent arrangements, and the data showed that the difference between water use in RUBS and in-rent properties was not statistically different from zero’’. The findings and recommendations of the study will help EPA and the drinking water industry better understand current mechanisms available to facilitate water conservation in multi-family housing. EPA strongly supports water conservation efforts, and encourages all actions to promote conservation by renters, homeowners, apartment owners, and water systems. the reports of the Export-Import Bank of the United States to Congress. Time and Place: Monday, January 31, 2005 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The meeting will be held at Ex-Im Bank in the Main Conference Room 1143, 811 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20571. Agenda: Agenda items include a briefing of the Advisory Committee members on their responsibilities, an update on Ex-Im Bank related legislative issues, and an introduction of the Advisory Committee strategy for 2005. Public Participation: The meeting will be open to public participation, and the last 10 minutes will be set aside for oral questions or comments. Members of the public may also file written statement(s) before or after the meeting. If any person wishes auxiliary aids (such as a sign language interpreter) or other special accommodations, please contact, prior to January 24, 2005, Teri Stumpf, Room 1203, 811 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20571, Voice: (202) 565–3502 or TDD (202) 565–3377. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, contact Teri Stumpf, Room 1203, 811 Vermont Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20571, (202) 565– 3502. Dated: January 6, 2005. Benjamin Grumbles, Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Water. [FR Doc. 05–499 Filed 1–10–05; 8:45 am] SUMMARY: The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Public Law 104–13. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act that does not display a valid control number. Comments are requested concerning (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the BILLING CODE 6560–50–P EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES Notice of Open Special Meeting of the Advisory Committee of the ExportImport Bank of the United States (ExIm Bank). SUMMARY: The Advisory Committee was established by Public Law 98–181, November 30, 1982, to advise the Export-Import Bank on its programs and to provide comments for inclusion in PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Peter Saba, General Counsel. [FR Doc. 05–454 Filed 1–10–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6690–01–M FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, Comments Requested December 28, 2004. E:\FR\FM\11JAN1.SGM 11JAN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 11, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1892-1893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-499]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Docket: OW-2004-0039; FRL-7860-3]


Promoting Water Conservation in Multi-Family Housing

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Request for comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public 
comment on water metering and billing systems that promote full cost 
and conservation pricing to achieve water conservation within the 
drinking water industry. In addition, EPA seeks information on ways 
that residential and commercial water users, and drinking water 
utilities can reduce water use and promote water conservation.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 14, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No.OW-2004-
0039, by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
     Agency Web site: https://www.epa.gov/edocket. EDOCKET, 
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, is EPA's preferred 
method for receiving comments. Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments.
     E-mail: Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) 
to OWDocket@epa.gov. Attention Docket ID No. OW-2004-0039.
     Mail: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail 
Code 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, 
Attention Docket ID No. OW-2004-0039. Please include a total of three 
(3) copies.
     Hand Delivery: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket 
Center, (EPA/DC) EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC. Attention Water Docket ID No. OW-2004-0039. Such 
deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of 
operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of 
boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. OW-2004-0039. 
EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change and may be made available online at http:/
/www.epa.gov/edocket, including any personal information provided, 
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to 
be CBI or otherwise protected through EDOCKET, regulations.gov, or e-
mail. The EPA EDOCKET and the Federal regulations.gov Web sites are 
``anonymous access'' systems, which means EPA will not know your 
identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of 
your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without 
going through EDOCKET or regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you 
submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name 
and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any 
disk or CD ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 
may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid 
the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of 
any defects or viruses. For additional information about EPA's public 
docket visit EDOCKET on-line or see the Federal Register of May 31, 
2002 (67 FR 38102).
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the EDOCKET index 
at https://www.epa.gov/edocket. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such 
as copyrighted material, is not 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 Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center, (EPA/DC) 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 telephone number for the Public 
Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Water 
Docket is (202) 566-2426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information please contact 
Sarah Koppel by phone at (202) 564-3859, or by e-mail at 
koppel.sarah@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through 
EDOCKET, regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark the part or all of the 
information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or 
CD ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD ROM as 
CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD ROM the 
specific information that is claimed as CBI). In addition to one 
complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as 
CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information 
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket. 
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with 
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.

[[Page 1893]]

    2. Tips for Preparing Your Comments. When submitting comments, 
remember to:
    i. Identify the action by docket number and other identifying 
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
    ii. Follow directions--The agency may ask you to respond to 
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
    iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and 
substitute language for your requested changes.
    iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information 
and/or data that you used.
    v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you 
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be 
reproduced.
    vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns, and 
suggest alternatives.
    vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of 
profanity or personal threats.
    viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period 
deadline identified.

 B. Background of Final Revised Policy

    On December 23, 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
published a final memorandum in the Federal Register (68 FR 74233) that 
outlined its revised policy regarding regulatory requirements under the 
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for properties that submeter for water 
usage. Through the revised policy memorandum, as a way to promote full 
cost and conservation pricing to achieve water conservation, the EPA 
changed its long standing interpretation of SDWA section 1411 as it 
applies to submetered properties. Under the revised policy, a property 
owner who had not previously been (or would not be) subject to SDWA 
national primary drinking water regulations through SDWA section 1411, 
and who installs submeters to accurately track usage of water by 
tenants on his or her property, will not then be subject to SDWA 
regulations solely as a result of taking the action to submeter and 
bill. EPA took this action because the Agency believed that water 
submetering promotes water conservation. The data and information 
available to EPA in December of 2003 did not show that allocated 
billing systems, such as ratio utility billing systems (RUBS) and hot 
water hybrid (HWH) systems, would promote water conservation. 
Therefore, EPA did not include other billing systems in the final 
revised policy.
    The findings of a new two-year study of water billing practices in 
the multi-family residential sector, released on August 30, 2004, show 
the water conservation benefits of submetering. The study was conducted 
by Aquacraft, Inc. of Boulder, Colorado, the National Research Center, 
and Potomac Resources. The study underwent extensive peer review and 
was sponsored by EPA, National Apartment Association, National Multi 
Housing Council, City of Austin, City of Phoenix, City of Portland, 
City of Tucson, Denver Water Department, East Bay Municipal Utility 
District, San Antonio Water System, San Diego County Water Authority, 
Seattle Public Utilities, and Southern Nevada Water Authority. A copy 
of the study can be accessed at EPA Docket ID No. OW-2004-0039. The 
study showed that ``Submetering was found to achieve statistically 
significant water savings of 15.3 percent (21.8 gal/day/unit) compared 
to traditional in-rent properties after correcting for factors * * *'' 
In addition, ``This study found no evidence that Ratio Utility Billing 
Systems (RUBS) reduced water use by a statistically significant amount 
compared with traditional in-rent arrangements, and the data showed 
that the difference between water use in RUBS and in-rent properties 
was not statistically different from zero''.
    The findings and recommendations of the study will help EPA and the 
drinking water industry better understand current mechanisms available 
to facilitate water conservation in multi-family housing. EPA strongly 
supports water conservation efforts, and encourages all actions to 
promote conservation by renters, homeowners, apartment owners, and 
water systems.

    Dated: January 6, 2005.
Benjamin Grumbles,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 05-499 Filed 1-10-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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