Access to Confidential Business Information by the General Accountability Office, 66384 [05-21839]

Agencies

• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 211 (Wednesday, November 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 66384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-21839]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPT-2003-0004; FRL-7736-7]


Access to Confidential Business Information by the General 
Accountability Office

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA has authorized the General Accountability Office (GAO), 
access to information which has been submitted to EPA under all 
sections of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Federal, 
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Some of the 
information may be claimed or determined to be Confidential Business 
Information (CBI).

DATES: Access to confidential business data started on October 1, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colby Lintner, Regulatory Coordinator, 
Environmental Assistance Division (7408M), Office of Pollution 
Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 
554-1404; e-mail address: TSCA-Hotline@.epa.gov.
    Additional information on the GAO request and security issues can 
be obtained from: Erik R. Johnson, Acting Information Management 
Official (IMO) and Primary Information Security Officer (ISO), Office 
of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS), Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 564-0521; e-mail address: Johnson.Erik@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Notice Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general. This action may, 
however, be of interest to those persons who are or may be required to 
comply with laws administered by EPA. Since other entities may also be 
interested, the Agency has not attempted to describe all the specific 
entities that may be affected by this action. If you have any questions 
regarding the applicability of this action to a particular entity, 
consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

B. How Can I Get Copies of this Document and Other Related Documents?

    1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this 
action under docket identification (ID) number OPPT-2003-0004. The 
official public docket consists of the documents specifically 
referenced in this action, any public comments received, and other 
information related to this action. Although a part of the official 
docket, the public docket does not include CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. The official public docket 
is the collection of materials that is available for public viewing at 
the EPA Docket Center, Rm. B102-Reading Room, EPA West, 1301 
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center 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 EPA Docket Center, is (202) 566-0280.
    2. Electronic access. You may access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register'' 
listings at https://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
    An electronic version of the public docket is available through 
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may 
use EPA Dockets at https://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view public 
comments, to access the index listing of the contents of the official 
public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that 
are available electronically. Although not all docket materials may be 
available electronically, you may still access any of the publicly 
available docket materials through the docket facility identified in 
Unit I.B.1. Once in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the 
appropriate docket ID number.

II. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    On August 16, 2005, in accordance with 40 CFR 2.209, the 
Comptroller General of the GAO requested access to information 
collected through the authority of TSCA and FIFRA. Some of this 
information has been treated as CBI. GAO needs this information in 
connection with its review of EPA's risk assessment processes. EPA has 
granted GAO access to these materials effective October 1, 2005.
    EPA is issuing this notice to inform all submitters of information 
under all sections of TSCA and FIFRA, that the Agency has provided GAO 
access to these CBI materials on a need-to-know basis only. All access 
to TSCA and FIFRA CBI under this arrangement, takes place at EPA 
Headquarters, and GAO Headquarters located at 441 G St., NW., 
Washington, DC 20548.
    Clearance for access to TSCA and FIFRA CBI under this arrangement 
may continue until May of 2006. Access started on October 1, 2005.
    GAO personnel have signed non-disclosure agreements and were 
briefed on appropriate security procedures before they were permitted 
access to the CBI.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Confidential business information.

    Dated: October 18, 2005.
Susan B. Hazen,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic 
Substances.
[FR Doc. 05-21839 Filed 11-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S