Hazardous Waste Management System; Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste; Removal of Saccharin and Its Salts From the Lists of Hazardous Constituents, Hazardous Wastes, and Hazardous Substances, 78918-78926 [2010-31773]
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 242 / Friday, December 17, 2010 / Rules and Regulations
EPA has no authority to disapprove a
111(d)/129 plan submission for failure
to use VCS. It would thus be
inconsistent with applicable law for
EPA, when it reviews a 111(d)/129 plan
submission, to use VCS in place of a
111(d)/129 plan submission that
otherwise satisfies the provisions of the
Clean Air Act. Thus, the requirements of
section 12(d) of the National
Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) do not
apply. This rule does not impose an
information collection burden under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
B. Submission to Congress and the
Comptroller General
The Congressional Review Act, 5
U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the Small
Business Regulatory Enforcement
Fairness Act of 1996, generally provides
that before a rule may take effect, the
agency promulgating the rule must
submit a rule report, which includes a
copy of the rule, to each House of the
Congress and to the Comptroller General
of the United States. EPA will submit a
report containing this rule and other
required information to the U.S. Senate,
the U.S. House of Representatives, and
the Comptroller General of the United
States prior to publication of the rule in
the Federal Register. This rule is not a
‘‘major rule’’ as defined by 5 U.S.C.
804(2).
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with RULES
C. Petitions for Judicial Review
Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean
Air Act, petitions for judicial review of
this action must be filed in the United
States Court of Appeals for the
appropriate circuit by February 15,
2011. Filing a petition for
reconsideration by the Administrator of
this final rule does not affect the finality
of this rule for the purposes of judicial
review nor does it extend the time
within which a petition for judicial
review may be filed, and shall not
postpone the effectiveness of such rule
or action. This action approving the
Commonwealth of Virginia section
111(d)/129 negative declaration and
request for EPA withdrawal of the
HMIWI plan approval may not be
challenged later in proceedings to
enforce its requirements. (See section
307(b)(2).)
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 62
Environmental protection,
Administrative practice and procedure,
Air pollution control, Aluminum,
Fertilizers, Fluoride, Intergovernmental
relations, Paper and paper products
industry, Phosphate, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, Sulfur
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oxides, Sulfur acid plants, Waste
treatment and disposal.
Dated: December 2, 2010.
W.C. Early,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
40 CFR Part 62, Subpart VV, is
amended as follows:
■
PART 62—[AMENDED]
1. The authority citation for part 62
continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Subpart VV—Virginia
2. Section 62.11625 is amended by
revising the section heading,
designating the existing paragraph as (a)
and adding paragraph (b) to read as
follows:
■
§ 62.11625 Identification of plan—negative
declaration.
*
*
*
*
*
(b) On September 13, 2010, the
Commonwealth of Virginia, Department
of Environmental Protection, submitted
a negative declaration, and request for
withdrawal of EPA’s plan approval
under paragraph (a).
■ 3. Section 62.11626 is removed.
■ 4. Section 62.11627 is revised to read
as follows:
§ 62.11627
Effective date.
The effective date of the negative
declaration and EPA withdrawal of the
plan approval is February 15, 2011.
[FR Doc. 2010–31741 Filed 12–16–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 261, 268, and 302
[EPA–HQ–RCRA–2009–0310, FRL–9239–8]
RIN 2050–AG55
Hazardous Waste Management
System; Identification and Listing of
Hazardous Waste; Removal of
Saccharin and Its Salts From the Lists
of Hazardous Constituents, Hazardous
Wastes, and Hazardous Substances
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final Rule.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA or the Agency) is
amending its regulations under the
Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA) to remove saccharin and its
salts from the lists of hazardous
constituents and commercial chemical
products which are hazardous wastes
SUMMARY:
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when discarded or intended to be
discarded. EPA is also amending the
regulations under the Comprehensive
Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA) to remove saccharin and its
salts from the list of hazardous
substances. This final rule is in response
to a petition submitted to EPA by the
Calorie Control Council (CCC) to remove
saccharin and its salts from the above
lists. EPA is granting CCC’s petition
based on a review of the evaluations
conducted by key public health agencies
concerning the carcinogenic and other
potential toxicological effects of
saccharin and its salts, as well as EPA’s
own assessment of the waste generation
and management information for
saccharin and its salts. This review/
assessment demonstrates that saccharin
and its salts do not meet the criteria in
the hazardous waste regulations for
remaining on EPA’s lists of hazardous
constituents, hazardous wastes, and
hazardous substances.
DATES: This final rule is effective on
January 18, 2011.
ADDRESSES: EPA has established a
docket for this action under Docket ID
No. EPA–HQ–RCRA–2009–0310. All
documents in the docket are listed in
the https://www.regulations.gov index.
Certain material, such as copyrighted
material, will be publicly available only
in hard copy. Publicly available docket
materials are available either
electronically in https://
www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at
the OSWER Docket in the EPA Docket
Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room
3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20460. The Public
Meeting Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays. The telephone
number for the OSWER Docket and the
Public Reading Room is (202) 566–1744.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
general information, review our Web
site at https://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/
hazwaste. For information on specific
aspects of the rule, contact Narendra
Chaudhari of the Office of Resource
Conservation and Recovery (5304P),
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone
number: 703–308–0454; e-mail address:
chaudhari.narendra@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Who is potentially affected by this
final rule?
This final rule could directly affect
businesses that generate or manage
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unused commercial products that
contain saccharin or its salts.
Specifically, the wastes affected by this
final rule are unused commercial
chemical products, manufacturing
chemical intermediates,
off-specification material, container
residues, and spill residues that contain
saccharin or its salts in a pure or
technical grade form, or as the sole
active ingredient and are listed as EPA
Hazardous Waste No. U202 (see 40 CFR
261.33(f)). These wastes will no longer
be subject to the U202 listing, provided
the States adopt and seek authorization
for this final rule. This action may also
affect entities that need to respond to
releases of these wastes as CERCLA
hazardous substances, since saccharin
and its salts will no longer be CERCLA
hazardous substances. Persons in charge
of vessels or facilities from which
saccharin or its salts are released will no
longer be required to immediately notify
78919
the National Response Center of the
release under section 103 of CERCLA
and will not be subject to the liability
provisions under section 107 of
CERCLA. The table below provides a
guide for readers regarding entities that
likely would be directly or indirectly
affected by this action, based on the
information available from the 2007
Biennial Report.1
INDUSTRY SECTORS POTENTIALLY AFFECTED BY THE FINAL RULE
NAICS code
Industry description for NAICS code
31193 ..............................................
312111 ............................................
325199 ............................................
32541 ..............................................
325411 ............................................
325412 ............................................
32562 ..............................................
49311 ..............................................
5417 ................................................
54171 ..............................................
61131 ..............................................
Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing.
Soft Drink Manufacturing.
All Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing [manufacturers of saccharin].
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing.
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing.
Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing.
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing.2
General Warehousing and Storage.
Scientific Research and Development Services.
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences.
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools.
This action, however, may affect other
entities not listed in the table. To
determine whether your facility is
affected by this action, you should
examine 40 CFR parts 261, 268 and 302
carefully, along with the final regulatory
language amending Chapter I of the
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). This
language is found at the end of this
Federal Register notice. If you have
questions regarding the applicability of
this action to a particular entity, consult
the person listed in the preceding
section entitled FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with RULES
Preamble Outline
I. Statutory Authority
II. List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
III. Summary of This Action
IV. Summary of the Proposed Action
V. EPA’s Evaluation of the Petition Based on
the Available Toxicological Information
and Waste Generation and Management
Information for Saccharin and Its Salts
A. Evaluation of Toxicological Information
for Saccharin and Its Salts To Assess the
Petition
1. Evaluation of Information on the
Carcinogenicity of Saccharin and Its
Salts by NTP and IARC
2. Evaluation of Information on Other
Toxicological Effects of Saccharin and Its
Salts by NTP and IARC
B. Evaluation of Waste Generation and
Management Information for Saccharin
and Its Salts To Assess the Petition
1 EPA, in partnership with the States, biennially
collects information regarding the generation,
management, and final disposition of hazardous
wastes regulated under RCRA. See the 2007
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1. Quantity and Types of Wastes Generated
2. Factors Considered for Waste Listing
VI. Response to Comments and Rationale for
the Final Rule
A. Response to Comments
B. EPA’s Rationale for Granting the Petition
VII. Status of Land Disposal Restrictions for
U202 Listed Wastes
VIII. State Authorization
A. Applicability of the Rule in Authorized
States
B. Effect on State Authorization
IX. CERCLA Designation and List of
Hazardous Substances and Reportable
Quantities
X. Relationship to Other Rules
XI. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
A. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory
Planning and Review
B. Paperwork Reduction Act
C. Regulatory Flexibility Act
D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
E. Executive Order 13132: Federalism
F. Executive Order 13175: Consultation
and Coordination With Indian Tribal
Governments
G. Executive Order 13045: Protection of
Children From Environmental Health
and Safety Risks
H. Executive Order 13211: Actions That
Significantly Affect Energy Supply,
Distribution, or Use
I. National Technology Transfer and
Advancement Act
J. Executive Order 12898: Federal Actions
To Address Environmental Justice in
Minority Populations and Low-Income
Populations
K. Congressional Review Act
I. Statutory Authority
These regulations are being
promulgated under the authority of
sections 1006, 2002(a), 3001 and 3002 of
the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as
amended by the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act (RCRA), as amended,
by the Hazardous and Solid Waste
Amendments of 1984 (HSWA), 42
U.S.C. 6905, 6912(a), 6921, 6922, 6924,
6924(y), and 6938. These statutes
combined are commonly referred to as
the ‘‘Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act’’ (RCRA) and will be
referred to as such for the remainder of
this action.
Section 102 of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980
(CERCLA), 42 U.S.C. 9602, as amended,
is the authority under which the
CERCLA aspects of this rule are
promulgated.
Biennial Report on the EPA Web site https://
www.epa.gov/epawaste/inforesources/data/
index.htm.
2 Saccharin and its salts are used in personal-care
products, such as mouthwash, dental cleaners, and
lipstick, which come under Toilet Preparation
Manufacturing (NAICS Code 32562).
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II. List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
BRS Biennial Reporting System
CCC Calorie Control Council
CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
EPCRA Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-Know Act
FDA Food and Drug Administration
HSWA Hazardous and Solid Waste
Amendments of 1984
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IARC International Agency for Research on
Cancer
LD50 Lethal Dose 50%
LDRs Land Disposal Restrictions
NAICS North American Industrial
Classification System
NOEL No Effect Level
NTP National Toxicology Program
OMB Office of Management and Budget
ROC Report on Carcinogens
RQ Reportable Quantity
III. Summary of This Action
In this notice, EPA is finalizing
regulations to remove saccharin and its
salts from the lists of hazardous
constituents (40 CFR part 261,
Appendix VIII) and hazardous wastes
(40 CFR 261.33 (f)) under RCRA and
from the list of hazardous substances
(40 CFR 302.4) under CERCLA. These
final regulations are substantively the
same as those that EPA proposed on
April 22, 2010 (75 FR 20942).3 This
final rule is in response to a petition
submitted to EPA by the Calorie Control
Council (CCC),4 under 40 CFR 260.20, to
remove saccharin and its salts from its
lists of hazardous constituents and
hazardous wastes. In the same petition,
CCC also requested removal of saccharin
and its salts from the list of hazardous
substances. EPA is granting CCC’s
petition based on a review of the
evaluations conducted by key public
health agencies concerning the
carcinogenic and other potential
toxicological effects of saccharin and its
salts, as well as EPA’s own assessment
of the waste generation and
management information for saccharin
and its salts. This review/assessment
demonstrates that saccharin and its salts
do not meet the criteria in the hazardous
waste regulations for remaining on
EPA’s lists of hazardous constituents,
hazardous wastes, and hazardous
substances.
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IV. Summary of the Proposed Action
On April 22, 2010, EPA issued a
proposed rule (75 FR 20942) that would
grant a petition submitted by CCC to
remove saccharin and its salts from the
lists of hazardous constituents (40 CFR
part 261, Appendix VIII), hazardous
wastes (40 CFR 261.33(f)), and
hazardous substances (40 CFR 302.4).
Under § 260.20, any person may petition
the EPA Administrator to modify or
revoke any provision in parts 260
through 266, 267, 268, and 273 of 40
3 The regulations proposed by EPA on April 22,
2010 did not remove the chemical name of
saccharin and its salts (1, 2-Benzisothiazol-3(2H)one, 1, 1-dioxide, & salts) from 40 CFR 302.4. The
final regulatory text corrects that inadvertent
omission.
4 To examine CCC’s complete petition, see the
docket for this final rule.
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CFR. The CCC argued in its petition
(which is included in the docket for this
final rule) that the current scientific
evidence, as viewed by key public
health agencies, such as the National
Toxicology Program (NTP) and the
International Agency for Research on
Cancer (IARC), does not support
classifying saccharin as a potential
human carcinogen, which was EPA’s
original and only basis for placing
saccharin and its salts on its lists of
hazardous constituents, hazardous
wastes, and hazardous substances.
EPA’s evaluation of this petition
considered the original basis for the
listing, NTP’s and IARC’s more recent
conclusions about the risk of
carcinogenicity of saccharin and its
salts, as well as other factors or criteria
required for making a listing
determination. Based on this evaluation,
EPA determined that saccharin and its
salts do not present a significant risk to
human health or the environment.
Therefore, EPA proposed to grant CCC’s
petition by proposing to remove
saccharin and its salts from the lists of
hazardous constituents (40 CFR part
261, Appendix VIII), hazardous wastes
(40 CFR 261.33(f)), and hazardous
substances (40 CFR 302.4).
V. EPA’s Evaluation of the Petition
Based on the Available Toxicological
Information and Waste Generation and
Management Information for Saccharin
and Its Salts
Saccharin is a white crystalline
powder which is about 300 times
sweeter than sucrose. It is typically
available commercially either in the
acid form (saccharin) or as salts (sodium
saccharin or calcium saccharin). The
use of the name saccharin has been
applied to all three forms of this
chemical. The chemical name for
saccharin and its salts is ‘‘1,2Benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one, 1,1-dioxide &
salts.’’ Saccharin and its salts are used
primarily as non-nutritive sweeteners.
The most common uses are in diet soft
drinks, as a table-top sweetener, and in
products, such as juices, sweets,
chewing gum and jellies. They are also
used in cosmetics (e.g., toothpaste,
mouthwash, and lipstick),
pharmaceuticals (e.g., for coatings on
pills), and electroplating (e.g., as a
brightener in nickel-plating baths).
As discussed in the proposed rule,
EPA listed saccharin and its salts on the
lists of hazardous constituents (40 CFR
part 261, Appendix VIII), hazardous
wastes (40 CFR 261.33(f)), and
hazardous substances (40 CFR 302.4)
based solely upon the evidence that it
is a potential human carcinogen (75 FR
20945, April 22, 2010). EPA’s evaluation
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of CCC’s petition includes consideration
of the original basis for the listings in
light of the most recent scientific
evidence about the risk of
carcinogenicity of saccharin and its
salts. However, EPA has also evaluated
the petitioner’s requests against the
listing criteria and factors that would
need to be considered under the
regulations.
A. Evaluation of Toxicological
Information for Saccharin and Its Salts
To Assess the Petition
There have been numerous scientific
studies conducted over the past several
decades for the purpose of determining
the toxicological effects, in particular
carcinogenic effects, from the use of
saccharin and its salts. The NTP and
IARC have recently re-evaluated the
available scientific information on
saccharin and its salts relevant to its
carcinogenic and other toxicological
effects. In 1996, CCC submitted a
nomination to (or petitioned) the NTP to
consider removing saccharin from its
Report on Carcinogens (ROC) ‘‘based
upon mechanistic data related to
development of urinary bladder cancers
in rats.’’ NTP re-evaluated the available
scientific information for saccharin and
published its decision on CCC’s petition
in 2000, as part of its 9th ROC. In 1999,
IARC published the results of its latest
re-evaluation of the available scientific
information for saccharin and its salts.
The evaluations on the carcinogenicity
and other toxicological effects of
saccharin and its salts by NTP and IARC
are summarized below. See the ‘‘NTP
Report on Carcinogens Background
Document for Saccharin’’ (which will
now be referred to as NTP’s Background
Document) and part of the IARC
Monographs Volume 73 concerning
saccharin and its salts, which are
included in the docket for this
rulemaking. EPA believes it is
appropriate to accept the saccharin
evaluations performed by NTP and
IARC. The NTP decision to delist
saccharin from the ROC included
scientific peer reviews, as well as public
comment. IARC’s evaluation on the
carcinogenicity of saccharin and its salts
provides additional support in EPA’s
assessment of CCC’s petition.
1. Evaluation of Information on the
Carcinogenicity of Saccharin and Its
Salts by NTP and IARC
NTP initially listed saccharin as
‘‘reasonably anticipated to be a human
carcinogen’’ in its 2nd ROC, published
in 1981, based on sufficient evidence, at
that time, of carcinogenicity in
experimental animals. Specifically, the
listing was based on increased
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incidence of bladder tumors in
experimental animals, especially male
rats, when they were fed sodium
saccharin. However, saccharin was
removed, or delisted, by NTP in its 9th
ROC, published in 2000. The delisting
decision for saccharin was made on the
basis of a formal review process adopted
by NTP, which included two Federal
and one non-governmental scientific
peer review and public comment and
review.
In the ROC and its background
document, NTP summarized its
evaluation supporting the decision to
remove saccharin as ‘‘reasonably
anticipated to be a human carcinogen’’
as follows:
‘‘There is evidence of the carcinogenicity of
saccharin in rats but less convincing
evidence in mice. Mechanistic studies
indicate that the observed urinary bladder
cancers in rat studies are related to urinary
pH, osmolality, volume, presence of
precipitate and urothelial damage with
attendant hyperplasia following dietary
concentrations of 3% or higher with
inconsistent findings at lower dietary
concentrations. The factors thought to
contribute to tumor induction by sodium
saccharin in rats would not be expected to
occur in humans. The mouse data are
inconsistent and require verification by
additional studies. Results of several
epidemiology studies indicate no clear
association between saccharin consumption
and urinary bladder cancer. Although it is
impossible to absolutely conclude that it
poses no threat to human health, sodium
saccharin is not reasonably anticipated to be
a human carcinogen under conditions of
general usage as an artificial sweetener.’’
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The available epidemiology studies,
according to NTP, mostly examined
associations between urinary bladder
cancer and artificial sweeteners, rather
than saccharin per se. The time trend
data for bladder cancer from these
studies were thought to be essentially
noninformative with no clear indication
that the increased use of saccharin or
artificial sweeteners, beginning in the
1940’s, was associated with any general
increase in bladder cancer when
controlled for confounding factors,
mainly smoking. NTP’s decision to
delist saccharin, as stated in the ROC,
was as follows:
‘‘Saccharin will be delisted from the Report
on Carcinogens, because the rodent cancer
data are not sufficient to meet the current
criteria to list this chemical as reasonably
anticipated to be a human carcinogen. This
is based on the perception that the observed
bladder tumors in rats arise by mechanisms
not relevant to humans, and the lack of data
in humans suggesting a carcinogenic hazard.’’
IARC first evaluated saccharin in 1980
and concluded the following:
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‘‘There is sufficient evidence that saccharin
alone, given at high doses, produces tumours
of the urinary tract in male rats * * *’’
(IARC, 1980).
In 1999, IARC presented its last reevaluation, taking into consideration all
new data on saccharin and its salts. It
found that, based on a review of human
studies on the carcinogenicity of
artificial sweeteners, that there is ‘‘no
consistent pattern of dose-response
relationship between use of artificial
sweeteners and cancers of the urinary
bladder or lower urinary tract is
apparent in the available literature.’’ The
animal studies in rats with sodium
saccharin did show urinary bladder
tumors in the 2-generation studies.
However, the incidence of bladder
tumors was significant only at higher
doses (greater than 3% of the diet).
Based on this re-evaluation, IARC
concluded the following:
‘‘There is inadequate evidence in humans
for the carcinogenicity of saccharin salts used
as sweeteners.’’
‘‘There is sufficient evidence in
experimental animals for the carcinogenicity
of sodium saccharin.’’
‘‘There is inadequate evidence in
experimental animals for the carcinogenicity
of saccharin (acid form) and calcium
saccharin.’’
In making its overall evaluation of the
carcinogenic risk from saccharin and its
salts, IARC stated the following:
‘‘In making its evaluation, the Working
Group concluded that sodium saccharin
produces urothelial bladder tumours in rats
by a non-DNA-reactive mechanism that
involves the formation of urinary calcium
phosphate-containing precipitate,
cytotoxicity and enhanced cell proliferation.
This mechanism is not relevant to humans
because of critical interspecies differences in
urine composition.’’
‘‘Saccharin and its salts are not classifiable
as to their carcinogenicity to humans (Group
3).’’
2. Evaluation of Information on Other
Toxicological Effects of Saccharin and
Its Salts by NTP and IARC
In addition to the evaluation of
information on saccharin’s
carcinogenicity, NTP’s Background
Document and IARC’s 1999 reevaluation (as presented in IARC
Monograph Volume 73) included
information and analysis on other
toxicological effects of saccharin and its
salts. Specifically, saccharin, in the form
of sodium saccharin, has generally been
tested in rats by feeding the rats diets
containing specified amounts of sodium
saccharin. It has not been found to be
acutely toxic in rats based on the
criterion for listing hazardous wastes
under § 261.11(a)(2). The LD50 values for
sodium saccharin by oral administration
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in rats ranged from 14 g/kg (14,000 mg/
kg) to 17 g/kg (17,000 mg/kg) of body
weight, which is significantly higher
than the oral LD50 value for rats of less
than 50 mg/kg specified under the
listing criterion. A 2-generation feeding
study in rats that were given 1% to
7.5% sodium saccharin in their diet
indicated that a 1% dietary level (500
mg/kg of body weight) of sodium
saccharin represented a no-effect level
(NOEL). There was also no significant
increase in the incidence of urinary
bladder tumors at the 3% dietary level
of sodium saccharin. Generally, the
studies on mutagenicity, genotoxicity,
developmental and reproductive
toxicity using saccharin and sodium
saccharin have shown negative results.
For more detailed information and
analysis on other toxicological effects of
saccharin and its salts, see NTP’s
Background Document and IARC’s 1999
re-evaluation in the docket for this final
rule.
B. Evaluation of Waste Generation and
Management Information for Saccharin
and Its Salts To Assess the Petition
1. Quantity and Types of Wastes
Generated
Saccharin and its salts are listed
hazardous wastes, if the waste arises
from the discard of commercial
chemical products, manufacturing
chemical intermediates, offspecification material, container
residues or spill residues (EPA
Hazardous Waste No. U202 in 40 CFR
261.33(f)). The U-waste code applies
only if the chemical is present in a pure
or technical grade form, or is the sole
active ingredient in the chemical
formulation; in addition, the chemical
must be unused.
The U202 listing is narrow and does
not apply to other discarded materials
that merely contain saccharin or its
salts, e.g., discarded products that
contain saccharin as a sweetening agent.
Nor does the listing apply to
manufacturing process wastes that may
contain saccharin or its salts, except for
unused or off-specification saccharin or
its salts that are discarded. Therefore,
U202 is primarily generated by
companies that manufacture saccharin
or its salts, use saccharin or its salts in
product formulations (e.g., soft drinks,
cosmetics, pharmaceuticals), and by
companies that are discarding small
quantities of unused or off-specification
saccharin or its salts, such as some
laboratories.
Facilities are required by EPA to
report the amount of hazardous waste,
including U202 generated biennially
(every two years) as part of the Biennial
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Report System, or BRS. Based on the
information available from the BRS for
the years 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007,
generators reported a total of 123
specific wastes listed as U202 during
this time period (some generators
reported multiple U202 wastes over the
years in question). The total amount of
U202 waste generated over this time
period was 20 tons for all industries/
NAIC Codes; for 2007, there were 4.1
tons of U202 reported for 29 separate
wastes.
Most of the U202 wastes appear to be
discarded unused or off specification
material and ‘‘lab packs,’’ which package
hazardous items for shipping and
disposal. A limited number of other
wastes are also reported, including
contaminated debris/soil, organic and
aqueous liquids, and other unidentified
material. Although wastes were reported
as ‘‘generated’’ by hazardous waste
treatment, storage, and disposal
facilities, the BRS data indicate that
nearly all of these wastes were not
generated on-site, but rather were
received from off-site for storage/
packing and subsequent transfer for
treatment or disposal. To avoid counting
these wastes twice (i.e., the reported
wastes from the generator and again
from the waste facility packing/
transferring the waste), one can subtract
out the amounts of waste reported by
hazardous waste collection and
treatment facilities. Removing the U202
wastes generated at these hazardous
waste handling facilities from the 20
tons reported for all industries/NAIC
Codes noted previously gives a total of
14.7 tons generated from 2001 through
2007; similarly, removing the double
counting in the 2007 data from the 4.1
tons of U202 reported for all NAIC
Codes gives 2.9 tons for 2007 alone.
Therefore, the total quantity of U202
generated is quite small compared to the
total volume of hazardous waste
generated, both on an annual basis and
over the course of four reporting years.5
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2. Factors Considered for Waste Listing
Saccharin and its salts were listed as
hazardous waste under the criterion for
listing given in 40 CFR 261.11(a)(3).
Under this criterion, the Agency can list
a waste if it contains any of the toxic
constituents identified in 40 CFR part
261, Appendix VIII and, after
considering a number of factors, the
5 For comparison, BRS shows that approximately
47 million tons of hazardous waste was generated
in 2007 (see https://www.epa.gov/osw/inforesources/
data/br07/national07.pdf). Also in 2007,
approximately 137 million tons of municipal waste
went to landfills and other disposal (see https://
www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/
msw99.htm).
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Agency concludes that the waste poses
a ‘‘substantial present or potential
hazard to human health or the
environment’’ when improperly
managed. The nature of the toxicity of
a chemical contained in a waste is one
of the factors to be considered in listing
a waste as ‘‘toxic’’ (see § 261.11(a)(3)(i)).
The Agency cited toxicity as the
‘‘decisive’’ factor in listing commercial
chemical products under § 261.33(f),
because the waste is typically the
chemical itself (see EPA’s Background
Document for § 261.33, April 1981).
Saccharin and its salts were listed as
toxic constituents on Appendix VIII of
part 261 and subsequently identified as
hazardous wastes in § 261.33(f) based
solely on their potential for carcinogenic
effect in humans. Therefore, if the
toxicological basis for listing saccharin
and its salts on Appendix VIII of part
261 is removed, then the basis for listing
in § 261.33(f) no longer exists.
Other factors considered in listing a
waste under § 261.11(a)(3) are related to
the potential of the chemical to migrate
if improperly managed, and include the
chemical’s persistence and
accumulation potential. However, these
other factors are not critical in a listing
evaluation for commercial chemical
products containing saccharin and its
salts, because the low toxicity of these
chemicals revealed in scientific studies,
including a lack of potential
carcinogenic effect in humans, means
that any risk from a plausible
management scenario (e. g., disposal in
a landfill) would not be sufficient to
cause a substantial present or potential
hazard to human health or the
environment. In addition, the quantity
of waste generated from the discard of
saccharin and its salts by individual
facilities and on a nationwide basis
(§ 261.11(a)(3)(viii)) is relatively small,
as described previously, which further
reduces any potential hazard that might
arise from disposal of the waste. The
generators are distributed across the
nation, located in 42 different counties
according to BRS data, reducing the
likelihood of significant co-disposal in
the same landfill.
Additionally, one of the other factors
for EPA to consider is action taken by
other governmental agencies and
regulatory programs (§ 261.11(a)(3)(x)).
These actions also demonstrate that
saccharin and its salts do not present a
substantial hazard to human health or
the environment. These actions include:
(1) The determinations by NTP and
IARC that saccharin is not a potential
human carcinogen, as discussed
previously; (2) the State of California’s
removal of saccharin and its salts from
its list of chemicals known to cause
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cancer or reproductive toxicity (under
its Safe Drinking Water and Toxic
Enforcement Act of 1986, known as
‘‘proposition 65’’); 6 and (3) the FDA’s
approval of a variety of uses of
saccharin in food, cosmetics, and drugs,
and the elimination of the warning label
on food containing saccharin.7
Saccharin and its salts continue to be
used widely as a non-nutritive
sweetener in food products and are also
used in products, such as toothpaste,
mouthwash, chewing gum, confections,
and pharmaceuticals.
Furthermore, as noted previously in
section V.A.2., the information reviewed
indicates that saccharin and its salts are
not acutely toxic, and as such, they
would not meet the criterion for listing
hazardous wastes under § 261.11(a)(2).
Moreover, saccharin and its salts do not
meet the criterion under § 261.11(a)(1),
because saccharin and its salts are not
expected to exhibit any of the
characteristics of hazardous waste, i.e.,
ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and
toxicity, as described in 40 CFR 261.21
through 261.24.
Finally, the Agency needed to
consider only one factor in listing
saccharin and its salts as hazardous
substances under CERCLA. Under the
statutory provisions of section
101(14)(C) of CERCLA, a hazardous
waste that exhibits one or more of the
hazardous waste characteristics or
specifically is listed as a hazardous
waste under RCRA becomes a hazardous
substance under CERCLA.8 As a result,
saccharin and its salts were listed in 40
CFR 302.4 and designated as hazardous
substances under section 102(a) of
CERCLA. The Agency no longer has an
independent basis upon which to retain
saccharin and its salts as CERCLA
hazardous substances and is taking
action to remove saccharin and its salts
6 California EPA, Office of Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment, Notice to Interested Parties for
Chemical Delisted Effective April 6, 2001 and
Notice to Interested Parties for Chemical Delisted
Effective January 17, 2003 (available in the docket
for this proposed rulemaking).
7 Section 517, Title V, Appendix A, Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2001 (Pub. L. 106–554, 114
Stat. 2763), repealed 21 U.S.C. 343(o), the saccharin
warning statement requirement.
8 In addition, hazardous substances include: (1)
Any substance designated pursuant to section
311(b)(2)(A) of the Federal Water Pollution Control
Act; (2) any element, compound, mixture, solution,
or substance designated pursuant to section 102 of
the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act; (3) any toxic
pollutant listed under section 307(a) of the Federal
Water Pollution Control Act; (4) any hazardous air
pollutant listed under section 112 of the Clean Air
Act; and (5) any imminently hazardous chemical
substance or mixture with respect to which the
Administrator has taken action pursuant to section
7 of the Toxic Substances Control Act. Saccharin
and its salts are not included on any of these lists.
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from the list of CERCLA hazardous
substances.
VI. Response to Comments and
Rationale for the Final Rule
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A. Response to Comments
EPA received comments from the CCC
and the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC)
in response to the proposed rule. The
CCC supported EPA’s proposal, which
responded to CCC’s April 30, 2003
petition, to remove saccharin and its
salts from the lists of hazardous
constituents, hazardous wastes and
hazardous substances. In its comments,
CCC stated that the current scientific
evidence for saccharin and EPA’s own
assessment supports the Agency’s
proposed decision to remove saccharin
and its salts from its lists. NYSDEC’s
comments do not present any concerns
about EPA’s proposal to remove
saccharin and its salts from its lists.
Instead, NYSDEC’s comments request
clarification regarding the regulatory
status of a discarded unused chemical
product containing multiple ingredients
(i.e., saccharin-containing nicotine gum)
under 40 CFR 261.33. Since EPA’s
proposal was for removing saccharin
and its salts from its lists, the Agency
does not consider NYSDEC’s comments
to be within the scope of the rule and
therefore, not relevant to its decision on
finalizing the proposal. The entire
comments submitted by CCC and
NYSDEC in response to the proposed
rule are available in the docket for this
rulemaking.
B. EPA’s Rationale for Granting the
Petition
In summary, the comments on the
proposed rule were either supportive or
requested clarification on an issue that
is not relevant to EPA’s proposed
decision; the Agency received no
comments that disagreed with EPA’s
proposal to remove saccharin and its
salts from the lists of hazardous
constituents (40 CFR part 261,
Appendix VIII), hazardous wastes (40
CFR 261.33(f)), and hazardous
substances (40 CFR 302.4). EPA believes
that saccharin and its salts, based on the
results of the latest reviews of the
available scientific information
performed by NTP and IARC, do not
pose a present or potential risk of
causing toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic
or teratogenic effects on humans or
other life forms. This is because
saccharin and its salts: (1) Are not found
to be highly toxic in scientific studies;
(2) are not reasonably expected to have
carcinogenic effects in humans and
carcinogenic effects in experimental
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animals (i.e., rats) have been observed
mainly at higher doses (greater than 3%
of the diet) and effect mechanisms that
are not relevant to humans; and (3) are
not reasonably expected to be mutagenic
or teratogenic. Therefore, there is no
basis for retaining saccharin and its salts
as a hazardous constituent listed on
Appendix VIII of Part 261.
EPA also believes that saccharin and
its salts, based on a review of the
evaluations conducted by NTP and
IARC concerning the carcinogenic and
other potential toxicological effects of
saccharin and its salts, as well as EPA’s
own assessment of waste generation and
management information for saccharin
and its salts, do not meet the criteria for
listing as hazardous wastes under 40
CFR 261.11. This is because saccharin
and its salts: (1) Are not known to
exhibit any of the characteristics of
hazardous wastes identified in 40 CFR
261.21 through 261.24; (2) are not found
to be acutely toxic in studies with
animals; (3) are not found to be highly
toxic in non-acute (longer-term)
scientific studies; (4) are not discarded
annually in a quantity which could
reasonably be considered to pose a
‘‘substantial present or potential hazard
to human health or the environment’’
when improperly treated, stored,
transported, or disposed of, or otherwise
managed; and (5) are not considered
hazardous by other government agencies
and regulatory programs. Therefore,
there is no basis for retaining the listing
for saccharin and its salts as a hazardous
waste under 40 CFR 261.33(f).
EPA’s listing of saccharin and its salts
as hazardous substances under CERCLA
(40 CFR 302.4) was based solely upon
these substances being listed as U202
hazardous wastes under RCRA (40 CFR
261.33(f)). Therefore, since the Agency
is removing saccharin and its salts as
U202 listed hazardous wastes and
saccharin and its salts are not
designated or listed as hazardous
substances on any of the other
environmental statutes identified in
section 101(14) of CERCLA that defines
the term ‘‘hazardous substance,’’ there
exists no independent basis for retaining
saccharin and its salts on CERCLA’s list
of hazardous substances (40 CFR 302.4).
Based on the above conclusions, EPA
has decided to finalize the proposed
rule granting CCC’s petition without any
substantive changes.
VII. Status of Land Disposal
Restrictions for U202 Listed Wastes
As discussed in the previous section,
the Agency is removing saccharin and
its salts from the list of unused
commercial chemical products,
manufacturing chemical intermediates,
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78923
off-specification material, container
residues, and spill residues which are
hazardous wastes when discarded or
intended to be discarded (40 CFR
261.33(f)). These chemicals are
specifically listed as RCRA Hazardous
Waste No. U202 under 40 CFR 261.33(f).
The regulations under 40 CFR part 268,
prohibit the land disposal of RCRA
hazardous waste unless they meet a
certain level or have been treated by a
technology specified by EPA prior to
land disposal. See the table ‘‘Treatment
Standards for Hazardous Wastes’’ in
§ 268.40. The land disposal restrictions
(LDRs) only apply to solid wastes that
are RCRA hazardous wastes. Because
saccharin and its salts are being
removed from the list of hazardous
wastes based on this final rule, they
would not be subject to the LDRs.
Therefore, EPA is also removing
saccharin and its salts from the table
‘‘Treatment Standards for Hazardous
Wastes’’ in § 268.40.
VIII. State Authorization
A. Applicability of the Rule in
Authorized States
Under section 3006 of RCRA, EPA
may authorize a qualified State to
administer and enforce a hazardous
waste program within the State in lieu
of the Federal program, and to issue and
enforce permits in the State. Following
authorization, EPA retains enforcement
authority under sections 3008, 3013,
and 7003 of RCRA, although authorized
States have primary enforcement
responsibility. The standards and
requirements for State authorization are
found at 40 CFR part 271.
Prior to enactment of the Hazardous
and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984
(HSWA), a State with final RCRA
authorization administered its
hazardous waste program entirely in
lieu of EPA administering the Federal
program in that State. The Federal
requirements no longer applied in the
authorized State, and EPA could not
issue permits for any facilities in that
State, since only the State was
authorized to issue RCRA permits.
When new, more stringent Federal
requirements were promulgated, the
State is obligated to enact equivalent
authorities within specified timeframes.
However, the new Federal requirements
do not take effect in an authorized State
until the State adopted the Federal
requirements as State law.
In contrast, under RCRA section
3006(g), (42 U.S.C. 6926(g)), new
Federal requirements and prohibitions
imposed pursuant to HSWA authority
take effect in authorized States at the
same time that they take effect in
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unauthorized States. Although
authorized States still are required to
update their hazardous waste programs
to remain equivalent to the Federal
program, EPA is directed by the statute
to implement the requirements and
prohibitions in authorized States,
including the issuance of new permits
implementing those requirements, until
EPA authorizes the State to do so.
Authorized States are required to
modify their programs only when EPA
promulgates Federal requirements that
are more stringent or broader in scope
than existing Federal requirements.
RCRA section 3009 allows the States to
impose standards more stringent than
those in the Federal program. See also
40 CFR 271.1(i). Therefore, authorized
States may, but are not required to adopt
Federal regulations, both HSWA or nonHSWA, that are considered less
stringent than previous Federal
requirements.
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B. Effect on State Authorization
This rule is promulgated pursuant to
non-HSWA authority. The changes
included in this rule are less stringent
than the current Federal requirements.
Therefore, States will not be required to
adopt and seek authorization for these
changes. EPA will implement the
changes in this rule only in those States
which are not authorized for the RCRA
program. Nevertheless, EPA believes
that this rule has considerable merit,
and the Agency thus strongly
encourages States to amend their
programs and become Federallyauthorized to implement this rule.
IX. CERCLA Designation and List of
Hazardous Substances and Reportable
Quantities
Section 101(14) of CERCLA defines
the term ‘‘hazardous substance’’ as those
substances designated or listed under
several other environmental statutes and
those substances designated by EPA as
hazardous under CERCLA section
102(a). In particular, CERCLA section
101(14)(C) incorporates by reference any
hazardous waste having the
characteristics identified under or listed
pursuant to section 3001 of the Solid
Waste Disposal Act. CERCLA section
102(a) authorizes EPA to designate as
hazardous those substances that, when
released into the environment, may
present substantial danger to the public
health, welfare or the environment, and
to establish the reportable quantity (RQ)
for all CERCLA hazardous substances.
CERCLA section 102(b) sets a RQ of one
pound (statutory RQ) for hazardous
substances, except those for which RQs
have been established pursuant to
section 311(b)(4) of the Clean Water Act
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(CWA). A list of CERCLA hazardous
substances with their corresponding
RQs is provided in Table 302.4 at 40
CFR part 302. CERCLA section 103
requires any person who releases a
CERCLA hazardous substance in an
amount equal to or greater than its RQ
to report the release immediately to the
National Response Center.
On April 4, 1985, EPA issued a final
rule, ‘‘Notification Requirements,
Reportable Quantity Adjustments; Final
Rule and Proposed Rule’’ (see 50 FR
13456). The final rule retained the
statutory RQ of one pound for saccharin
and its salts with a note that the final
RQ is subject to change when the
assessment of potential carcinogenicity
and/or chronic toxicity is completed.
On March 16, 1987, EPA proposed to
adjust the statutory RQ for saccharin
and its salts to 100 pounds (45.5 kg) (see
52 FR 8140), which EPA finalized on
August 14, 1989 (see 54 FR 33418).
Saccharin and its salts, at the time of RQ
adjustment, were classified as weight of
evidence Group C,9 potency Group 3 10
substances and received a ‘‘low’’ hazard
ranking.
In this rule, the Agency is removing
saccharin and its salts 11 from the list of
CERCLA hazardous substances in
conjunction with the removal of
saccharin and its salts from the list of
hazardous constituents (40 CFR part
261, Appendix VIII) and the list of
commercial chemical products deemed
hazardous waste (40 CFR 261.33(f)).
With removal of the RCRA hazardous
waste listing, the Agency does not have
an independent basis upon which to
retain saccharin and its salts as CERCLA
hazardous substances. That is, the
Agency’s designation of saccharin and
its salts under section 102(a) was based
solely upon its inclusion as a hazardous
substance under section 101(14)(C) of
CERCLA.
X. Relationship to Other Rules
This action is not intended, and
should not be inferred, to affect the
status of saccharin and its salts under
any statute or program other than RCRA
and CERCLA. The granting of CCC’s
petition does not remove saccharin from
9 Group C (possible human carcinogen) includes
hazardous substances with ‘‘limited’’ evidence of
carcinogenicity in animals and ‘‘inadequate
evidence,’’ ‘‘no data,’’ or ‘‘no evidence’’ from human
epidemiologic studies.
10 Group 3—‘‘low’’ hazard category. RQ levels are
assigned to the hazard rankings as follows: high
(one pound RQ), medium (10 pound RQ), and low
(100 pound RQ).
11 The Agency is also removing the chemical
name for saccharin and its salts, 1,2-Benzisothiazol3(2H)-one, 1,1-dioxide, & salts which appears as a
separate entry on the list of CERCLA hazardous
substances.
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the EPCRA section 313 list, which
requires annual reporting of
environmental releases of toxic
chemicals.
XI. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
A. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory
Planning and Review
This action is not a ‘‘significant
regulatory action’’ under the terms of
Executive Order (EO) 12866 (58 FR
51735, October 4, 1993) and is therefore
not subject to review under the EO.
B. Paperwork Reduction Act
This action does not impose an
information collection burden under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction
Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Burden is
defined at 5 CFR 1320.3(b). In fact, EPA
expects that the total annual respondent
burden from this final rule would result
in a net reduction in national annual
paperwork burden to the affected
facilities because of elimination of
hazardous waste, and CERCLA
hazardous substance reporting
requirements. EPA also expects this rule
to result in net annual cost savings to
these same facilities from reduced waste
management costs, by the expected shift
of waste management from RCRA
Subtitle C hazardous waste
management, to RCRA Subtitle D
nonhazardous waste management.
C. Regulatory Flexibility Act
The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA)
generally requires an agency to prepare
a regulatory flexibility analysis of any
rule subject to notice and comment
rulemaking requirements under the
Administrative Procedure Act or any
other statute, unless the agency certifies
that the rule will not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities. Small entities
include small businesses, small
organizations, and small governmental
jurisdictions.
For purposes of assessing the impacts
of today’s rule on small entities, small
entity is defined as: (1) A small business
as defined by the Small Business
Administration’s (SBA) regulations at 13
CFR 121.201; (2) a small governmental
jurisdiction that is a government of a
city, county, town, school district or
special district with a population of less
than 50,000; and (3) a small
organization that is any not-for-profit
enterprise which is independently
owned and operated and is not
dominant in its field.
After considering the economic
impacts of today’s final rule on small
entities, I certify that this action will not
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have a significant economic impact on
a substantial number of small entities.
In determining whether a rule has a
significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities, the
impact of concern is any significant
adverse economic impact on small
entities, since the primary purpose of
the regulatory flexibility analyses is to
identify and address regulatory
alternatives ‘‘which minimize any
significant economic impact of the final
rule on small entities’’ (5 U.S.C. 603 and
604). Thus, an agency may certify that
a rule will not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities if the rule
relieves regulatory burden, or otherwise
has a positive economic effect on small
entities subject to the rule.
This action is designed to lower the
cost of waste management for affected
entities, by removing saccharin and its
salts from the lists of hazardous
constituents and commercial chemical
products which are hazardous wastes
when discarded or intended to be
discarded under RCRA and from the list
of hazardous substances under CERCLA.
We have therefore concluded that
today’s final rule will relieve regulatory
burden for all affected small entities.
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D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
This action contains no Federal
mandates under the provisions of Title
II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act of 1995 (UMRA), 2 U.S.C. 1531–
1538 for State, local, or tribal
governments or the private sector. This
is because this final rule imposes no
enforceable duty on any State, local, or
tribal governments or the private sector.
Therefore, this action is not subject to
the requirements of sections 202 or 205
of the UMRA.
This action is also not subject to the
requirements of section 203 of UMRA
because it contains no regulatory
requirements that might significantly or
uniquely affect small governments.
E. Executive Order 13132: Federalism
This action does not have federalism
implications. It will not have substantial
direct effects on the States, on the
relationship between the national
government and the States, or on the
distribution of power and
responsibilities among the various
levels of government, as specified in
Executive Order 13132. This final rule
primarily affects generators of certain
hazardous wastes from the discard of
unused commercial products that
contain saccharin and its salts. There
are no State and local government
bodies that incur direct compliance
costs by this rulemaking. Thus,
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Executive Order 13132 does not apply
to this action.
F. Executive Order 13175: Consultation
and Coordination With Indian Tribal
Governments
This action does not have tribal
implications, as specified in Executive
Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9,
2000). This final rule does not
significantly or uniquely affect the
communities of Indian tribal
governments, nor would it impose
substantial direct compliance costs on
them. Thus, Executive Order 13175 does
not apply to this rule.
G. Executive Order 13045: Protection of
Children From Environmental Health
and Safety Risks
This action is not subject to EO 13045
(62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997) because
it is not economically significant as
defined in EO 12866, and because the
Agency does not believe the
environmental health or safety risks
addressed by this action present a
disproportionate risk to children.
H. Executive Order 13211: Actions That
Significantly Affect Energy Supply,
Distribution, or Use
This action is not subject to Executive
Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22,
2001), because it is not a significant
regulatory action under Executive Order
12866.
I. National Technology Transfer and
Advancement Act
Section 12(d) of the National
Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (‘‘NTTAA’’), Public Law
104–113, section 12(d) (15 U.S.C. 272
note) directs EPA to use voluntary
consensus standards in its regulatory
activities, unless to do so would be
inconsistent with applicable law or
otherwise impractical. Voluntary
consensus standards are technical
standards (e.g., materials specifications,
test methods, sampling procedures, and
business practices) that are developed or
adopted by voluntary consensus
standards bodies. NTTAA directs EPA
to provide Congress, through OMB,
explanations when the Agency decides
not to use available and applicable
voluntary consensus standards.
This action does not involve technical
standards. Therefore, EPA is not
considering the use of any voluntary
consensus standards.
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78925
J. Executive Order 12898: Federal
Actions To Address Environmental
Justice in Minority Populations and
Low-Income Populations
Executive Order (EO) 12898 (59 FR
7629, Feb. 16, 1994) establishes Federal
executive policy on environmental
justice. Its main provision directs
Federal agencies, to the greatest extent
practicable and permitted by law, to
make environmental justice part of their
mission by identifying and addressing,
as appropriate, disproportionately high
and adverse human health or
environmental effects of their programs,
policies, and activities on minority
populations and low-income
populations in the United States.
EPA has determined that this final
rule will not have disproportionately
high and adverse human health or
environmental effects on minority or
low-income populations because it does
not affect the level of protection
provided to human health or the
environment. EPA is committed to
addressing environmental justice
concerns and has assumed a leadership
role in environmental justice initiatives
to enhance environmental quality for all
citizens of the United States. The
Agency’s goals are to ensure that no
segment of the population, regardless of
race, color, national origin, income, or
net worth bears disproportionately high
and adverse human health and
environmental impacts as a result of
EPA’s policies, programs, and activities.
Our goal is to ensure that all citizens
live in clean and sustainable
communities. In response to Executive
Order 12898, and to concerns voiced by
many groups outside the Agency, EPA’s
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response (OSWER) formed an
Environmental Justice Task Force to
analyze the array of environmental
justice issues specific to waste programs
and to develop an overall strategy to
identify and address these issues
(OSWER Directive No. 9200.3–17).
The Agency’s assessment, based on
the small quantity of saccharin and its
salts that are estimated to be discarded
by affected facilities and their relatively
low toxicity, is that there is no
significant risk to human health or the
environment from managing saccharin
and its salts in nonhazardous waste
landfills (the plausible management
scenario). As noted previously in
section V.B.2., the facilities that
generate these small quantities of waste
are distributed across the nation, which
makes it unlikely that any one segment
of the population would be impacted
disproportionately from management of
this nonhazardous waste.
E:\FR\FM\17DER1.SGM
17DER1
78926
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 242 / Friday, December 17, 2010 / Rules and Regulations
K. Congressional Review Act
The Congressional Review Act, 5
U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the Small
Business Regulatory Enforcement
Fairness Act of 1996, generally provides
that before a rule may take effect, the
agency promulgating the rule must
submit a rule report, which includes a
copy of the rule, to each house of the
Congress and to the Comptroller General
of the United States. EPA will submit a
report containing this rule to the U.S.
Senate, the U.S. House of
Representatives, and the Comptroller
General of the United States prior to
publication of the rule in the Federal
Register. This action is not a ‘‘major
rule’’ as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2). This
rule will be effective on January 18,
2011.
List of Subjects
PART 268—LAND DISPOSAL
RESTRICTIONS
4. The authority citation for part 268
continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6905, 6912(a), 6921,
and 6924.
§ 268.40
[Amended]
5. Section 268.40 is amended by
removing the entry for waste code U202
from the table ‘‘Treatment Standards for
Hazardous Wastes.’’
■
Appendix VII [Amended]
6. Appendix VII to part 268 is
amended by removing the entry for
waste code U202 from Table 1,
‘‘Effective Dates of Surface Disposed
Wastes (Non-Soil and Debris) Regulated
in the LDRs—Comprehensive List.’’
■
PART 302—DESIGNATION,
REPORTABLE QUANTITIES, AND
NOTIFICATION
40 CFR Part 261
Hazardous waste, Recycling,
Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
7. The authority citation for part 302
continues to read as follows:
■
40 CFR Part 268
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 9602, 9603, and 9604;
33 U.S.C. 1321 and 1361.
Hazardous waste, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements.
§ 302.4
40 CFR Part 302
[Amended]
8. Section 302.4 is amended as
follows:
■ a. By removing the entry for ‘‘1,2Benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one, 1,1-dioxide, &
salts’’ from Table 302.4.
■ b. By removing the entry for
‘‘Saccharin, & salts’’ from Table 302.4.
■ c. By removing the entry for ‘‘81072
Saccharin, & salts. 1,2-Benzisothiazol3(2H)-one, 1,1-dioxide, & salts’’ from
Appendix A to § 302.4.
■
Air pollution control, Chemicals,
Hazardous substances, Hazardous
waste, Intergovernmental relations,
Natural resources, Reporting and record
keeping requirements, Superfund, Water
pollution control, Water supply.
Dated: December 13, 2010.
Lisa P. Jackson,
Administrator.
For the reasons set out in the
preamble, title 40, chapter I of the Code
of Federal Regulations is amended as
follows:
■
[FR Doc. 2010–31773 Filed 12–16–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
PART 261—IDENTIFICATION AND
LISTING OF HAZARDOUS WASTE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
■
1. The authority citation for part 261
continues to read as follows:
Federal Emergency Management
Agency
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6905, 6912(a), 6921,
6922, 6924(y) and 6938.
44 CFR Part 67
§ 261.33
Final Flood Elevation Determinations
[Amended]
2. Section 261.33 is amended by
removing the entries for the U202
hazardous waste in the table under
paragraph (f).
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with RULES
■
Federal Emergency
Management Agency, DHS.
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
3. Appendix VIII to part 261 is
amended by removing the entries for
‘‘Saccharin’’ and ‘‘Saccharin salts’’ from
the table ‘‘Hazardous Constituents.’’
■
16:01 Dec 16, 2010
Base (1% annual-chance)
Flood Elevations (BFEs) and modified
BFEs are made final for the
communities listed below. The BFEs
and modified BFEs are the basis for the
floodplain management measures that
SUMMARY:
Appendix VIII [Amended]
VerDate Mar<15>2010
[Docket ID FEMA–2010–0003]
Jkt 223001
PO 00000
Frm 00050
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
each community is required either to
adopt or to show evidence of being
already in effect in order to qualify or
remain qualified for participation in the
National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP).
DATES: The date of issuance of the Flood
Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) showing
BFEs and modified BFEs for each
community. This date may be obtained
by contacting the office where the maps
are available for inspection as indicated
in the table below.
ADDRESSES: The final BFEs for each
community are available for inspection
at the office of the Chief Executive
Officer of each community. The
respective addresses are listed in the
table below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Luis
Rodriguez, Chief, Engineering
Management Branch, Federal Insurance
and Mitigation Administration, Federal
Emergency Management Agency, 500 C
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20472,
(202) 646–4064, or (e-mail) luis.
rodriguez1@dhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) makes the final determinations
listed below for the modified BFEs for
each community listed. These modified
elevations have been published in
newspapers of local circulation and
ninety (90) days have elapsed since that
publication. The Deputy Federal
Insurance and Mitigation Administrator
has resolved any appeals resulting from
this notification.
This final rule is issued in accordance
with section 110 of the Flood Disaster
Protection Act of 1973, 42 U.S.C. 4104,
and 44 CFR part 67. FEMA has
developed criteria for floodplain
management in floodprone areas in
accordance with 44 CFR part 60.
Interested lessees and owners of real
property are encouraged to review the
proof Flood Insurance Study and FIRM
available at the address cited below for
each community. The BFEs and
modified BFEs are made final in the
communities listed below. Elevations at
selected locations in each community
are shown.
National Environmental Policy Act.
This final rule is categorically excluded
from the requirements of 44 CFR part
10, Environmental Consideration. An
environmental impact assessment has
not been prepared.
Regulatory Flexibility Act. As flood
elevation determinations are not within
the scope of the Regulatory Flexibility
Act, 5 U.S.C. 601–612, a regulatory
flexibility analysis is not required.
Regulatory Classification. This final
rule is not a significant regulatory action
E:\FR\FM\17DER1.SGM
17DER1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 242 (Friday, December 17, 2010)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 78918-78926]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-31773]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 261, 268, and 302
[EPA-HQ-RCRA-2009-0310, FRL-9239-8]
RIN 2050-AG55
Hazardous Waste Management System; Identification and Listing of
Hazardous Waste; Removal of Saccharin and Its Salts From the Lists of
Hazardous Constituents, Hazardous Wastes, and Hazardous Substances
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final Rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is
amending its regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA) to remove saccharin and its salts from the lists of
hazardous constituents and commercial chemical products which are
hazardous wastes when discarded or intended to be discarded. EPA is
also amending the regulations under the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) to remove saccharin
and its salts from the list of hazardous substances. This final rule is
in response to a petition submitted to EPA by the Calorie Control
Council (CCC) to remove saccharin and its salts from the above lists.
EPA is granting CCC's petition based on a review of the evaluations
conducted by key public health agencies concerning the carcinogenic and
other potential toxicological effects of saccharin and its salts, as
well as EPA's own assessment of the waste generation and management
information for saccharin and its salts. This review/assessment
demonstrates that saccharin and its salts do not meet the criteria in
the hazardous waste regulations for remaining on EPA's lists of
hazardous constituents, hazardous wastes, and hazardous substances.
DATES: This final rule is effective on January 18, 2011.
ADDRESSES: EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket ID
No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-2009-0310. All documents in the docket are listed in
the https://www.regulations.gov index. Certain material, such as
copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy.
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically
in https://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the OSWER Docket in
the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460. The Public Meeting Room is open from
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. The telephone number for the OSWER Docket and the Public
Reading Room is (202) 566-1744.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, review our
Web site at https://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste. For information on
specific aspects of the rule, contact Narendra Chaudhari of the Office
of Resource Conservation and Recovery (5304P), U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460;
telephone number: 703-308-0454; e-mail address:
chaudhari.narendra@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Who is potentially affected by this final rule?
This final rule could directly affect businesses that generate or
manage
[[Page 78919]]
unused commercial products that contain saccharin or its salts.
Specifically, the wastes affected by this final rule are unused
commercial chemical products, manufacturing chemical intermediates,
off-specification material, container residues, and spill residues that
contain saccharin or its salts in a pure or technical grade form, or as
the sole active ingredient and are listed as EPA Hazardous Waste No.
U202 (see 40 CFR 261.33(f)). These wastes will no longer be subject to
the U202 listing, provided the States adopt and seek authorization for
this final rule. This action may also affect entities that need to
respond to releases of these wastes as CERCLA hazardous substances,
since saccharin and its salts will no longer be CERCLA hazardous
substances. Persons in charge of vessels or facilities from which
saccharin or its salts are released will no longer be required to
immediately notify the National Response Center of the release under
section 103 of CERCLA and will not be subject to the liability
provisions under section 107 of CERCLA. The table below provides a
guide for readers regarding entities that likely would be directly or
indirectly affected by this action, based on the information available
from the 2007 Biennial Report.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ EPA, in partnership with the States, biennially collects
information regarding the generation, management, and final
disposition of hazardous wastes regulated under RCRA. See the 2007
Biennial Report on the EPA Web site https://www.epa.gov/epawaste/inforesources/data/index.htm.
\2\ Saccharin and its salts are used in personal-care products,
such as mouthwash, dental cleaners, and lipstick, which come under
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing (NAICS Code 32562).
Industry Sectors Potentially Affected by the Final Rule
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NAICS code Industry description for NAICS code
------------------------------------------------------------------------
31193............................. Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate
Manufacturing.
312111............................ Soft Drink Manufacturing.
325199............................ All Other Basic Organic Chemical
Manufacturing [manufacturers of
saccharin].
32541............................. Pharmaceutical and Medicine
Manufacturing.
325411............................ Medicinal and Botanical
Manufacturing.
325412............................ Pharmaceutical Preparation
Manufacturing.
32562............................. Toilet Preparation Manufacturing.\2\
49311............................. General Warehousing and Storage.
5417.............................. Scientific Research and Development
Services.
54171............................. Research and Development in the
Physical, Engineering, and Life
Sciences.
61131............................. Colleges, Universities, and
Professional Schools.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This action, however, may affect other entities not listed in the
table. To determine whether your facility is affected by this action,
you should examine 40 CFR parts 261, 268 and 302 carefully, along with
the final regulatory language amending Chapter I of the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR). This language is found at the end of this Federal
Register notice. If you have questions regarding the applicability of
this action to a particular entity, consult the person listed in the
preceding section entitled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Preamble Outline
I. Statutory Authority
II. List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
III. Summary of This Action
IV. Summary of the Proposed Action
V. EPA's Evaluation of the Petition Based on the Available
Toxicological Information and Waste Generation and Management
Information for Saccharin and Its Salts
A. Evaluation of Toxicological Information for Saccharin and Its
Salts To Assess the Petition
1. Evaluation of Information on the Carcinogenicity of Saccharin
and Its Salts by NTP and IARC
2. Evaluation of Information on Other Toxicological Effects of
Saccharin and Its Salts by NTP and IARC
B. Evaluation of Waste Generation and Management Information for
Saccharin and Its Salts To Assess the Petition
1. Quantity and Types of Wastes Generated
2. Factors Considered for Waste Listing
VI. Response to Comments and Rationale for the Final Rule
A. Response to Comments
B. EPA's Rationale for Granting the Petition
VII. Status of Land Disposal Restrictions for U202 Listed Wastes
VIII. State Authorization
A. Applicability of the Rule in Authorized States
B. Effect on State Authorization
IX. CERCLA Designation and List of Hazardous Substances and
Reportable Quantities
X. Relationship to Other Rules
XI. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
A. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory Planning and Review
B. Paperwork Reduction Act
C. Regulatory Flexibility Act
D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
E. Executive Order 13132: Federalism
F. Executive Order 13175: Consultation and Coordination With
Indian Tribal Governments
G. Executive Order 13045: Protection of Children From
Environmental Health and Safety Risks
H. Executive Order 13211: Actions That Significantly Affect
Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use
I. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act
J. Executive Order 12898: Federal Actions To Address
Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income
Populations
K. Congressional Review Act
I. Statutory Authority
These regulations are being promulgated under the authority of
sections 1006, 2002(a), 3001 and 3002 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act,
as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as
amended, by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HSWA), 42
U.S.C. 6905, 6912(a), 6921, 6922, 6924, 6924(y), and 6938. These
statutes combined are commonly referred to as the ``Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act'' (RCRA) and will be referred to as such
for the remainder of this action.
Section 102 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), 42 U.S.C. 9602, as
amended, is the authority under which the CERCLA aspects of this rule
are promulgated.
II. List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
BRS Biennial Reporting System
CCC Calorie Control Council
CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
EPCRA Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
FDA Food and Drug Administration
HSWA Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984
[[Page 78920]]
IARC International Agency for Research on Cancer
LD50 Lethal Dose 50%
LDRs Land Disposal Restrictions
NAICS North American Industrial Classification System
NOEL No Effect Level
NTP National Toxicology Program
OMB Office of Management and Budget
ROC Report on Carcinogens
RQ Reportable Quantity
III. Summary of This Action
In this notice, EPA is finalizing regulations to remove saccharin
and its salts from the lists of hazardous constituents (40 CFR part
261, Appendix VIII) and hazardous wastes (40 CFR 261.33 (f)) under RCRA
and from the list of hazardous substances (40 CFR 302.4) under CERCLA.
These final regulations are substantively the same as those that EPA
proposed on April 22, 2010 (75 FR 20942).\3\ This final rule is in
response to a petition submitted to EPA by the Calorie Control Council
(CCC),\4\ under 40 CFR 260.20, to remove saccharin and its salts from
its lists of hazardous constituents and hazardous wastes. In the same
petition, CCC also requested removal of saccharin and its salts from
the list of hazardous substances. EPA is granting CCC's petition based
on a review of the evaluations conducted by key public health agencies
concerning the carcinogenic and other potential toxicological effects
of saccharin and its salts, as well as EPA's own assessment of the
waste generation and management information for saccharin and its
salts. This review/assessment demonstrates that saccharin and its salts
do not meet the criteria in the hazardous waste regulations for
remaining on EPA's lists of hazardous constituents, hazardous wastes,
and hazardous substances.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ The regulations proposed by EPA on April 22, 2010 did not
remove the chemical name of saccharin and its salts (1, 2-
Benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one, 1, 1-dioxide, & salts) from 40 CFR 302.4.
The final regulatory text corrects that inadvertent omission.
\4\ To examine CCC's complete petition, see the docket for this
final rule.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. Summary of the Proposed Action
On April 22, 2010, EPA issued a proposed rule (75 FR 20942) that
would grant a petition submitted by CCC to remove saccharin and its
salts from the lists of hazardous constituents (40 CFR part 261,
Appendix VIII), hazardous wastes (40 CFR 261.33(f)), and hazardous
substances (40 CFR 302.4). Under Sec. 260.20, any person may petition
the EPA Administrator to modify or revoke any provision in parts 260
through 266, 267, 268, and 273 of 40 CFR. The CCC argued in its
petition (which is included in the docket for this final rule) that the
current scientific evidence, as viewed by key public health agencies,
such as the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and the International
Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), does not support classifying
saccharin as a potential human carcinogen, which was EPA's original and
only basis for placing saccharin and its salts on its lists of
hazardous constituents, hazardous wastes, and hazardous substances.
EPA's evaluation of this petition considered the original basis for the
listing, NTP's and IARC's more recent conclusions about the risk of
carcinogenicity of saccharin and its salts, as well as other factors or
criteria required for making a listing determination. Based on this
evaluation, EPA determined that saccharin and its salts do not present
a significant risk to human health or the environment. Therefore, EPA
proposed to grant CCC's petition by proposing to remove saccharin and
its salts from the lists of hazardous constituents (40 CFR part 261,
Appendix VIII), hazardous wastes (40 CFR 261.33(f)), and hazardous
substances (40 CFR 302.4).
V. EPA's Evaluation of the Petition Based on the Available
Toxicological Information and Waste Generation and Management
Information for Saccharin and Its Salts
Saccharin is a white crystalline powder which is about 300 times
sweeter than sucrose. It is typically available commercially either in
the acid form (saccharin) or as salts (sodium saccharin or calcium
saccharin). The use of the name saccharin has been applied to all three
forms of this chemical. The chemical name for saccharin and its salts
is ``1,2-Benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one, 1,1-dioxide & salts.'' Saccharin and
its salts are used primarily as non-nutritive sweeteners. The most
common uses are in diet soft drinks, as a table-top sweetener, and in
products, such as juices, sweets, chewing gum and jellies. They are
also used in cosmetics (e.g., toothpaste, mouthwash, and lipstick),
pharmaceuticals (e.g., for coatings on pills), and electroplating
(e.g., as a brightener in nickel-plating baths).
As discussed in the proposed rule, EPA listed saccharin and its
salts on the lists of hazardous constituents (40 CFR part 261, Appendix
VIII), hazardous wastes (40 CFR 261.33(f)), and hazardous substances
(40 CFR 302.4) based solely upon the evidence that it is a potential
human carcinogen (75 FR 20945, April 22, 2010). EPA's evaluation of
CCC's petition includes consideration of the original basis for the
listings in light of the most recent scientific evidence about the risk
of carcinogenicity of saccharin and its salts. However, EPA has also
evaluated the petitioner's requests against the listing criteria and
factors that would need to be considered under the regulations.
A. Evaluation of Toxicological Information for Saccharin and Its Salts
To Assess the Petition
There have been numerous scientific studies conducted over the past
several decades for the purpose of determining the toxicological
effects, in particular carcinogenic effects, from the use of saccharin
and its salts. The NTP and IARC have recently re-evaluated the
available scientific information on saccharin and its salts relevant to
its carcinogenic and other toxicological effects. In 1996, CCC
submitted a nomination to (or petitioned) the NTP to consider removing
saccharin from its Report on Carcinogens (ROC) ``based upon mechanistic
data related to development of urinary bladder cancers in rats.'' NTP
re-evaluated the available scientific information for saccharin and
published its decision on CCC's petition in 2000, as part of its 9th
ROC. In 1999, IARC published the results of its latest re-evaluation of
the available scientific information for saccharin and its salts. The
evaluations on the carcinogenicity and other toxicological effects of
saccharin and its salts by NTP and IARC are summarized below. See the
``NTP Report on Carcinogens Background Document for Saccharin'' (which
will now be referred to as NTP's Background Document) and part of the
IARC Monographs Volume 73 concerning saccharin and its salts, which are
included in the docket for this rulemaking. EPA believes it is
appropriate to accept the saccharin evaluations performed by NTP and
IARC. The NTP decision to delist saccharin from the ROC included
scientific peer reviews, as well as public comment. IARC's evaluation
on the carcinogenicity of saccharin and its salts provides additional
support in EPA's assessment of CCC's petition.
1. Evaluation of Information on the Carcinogenicity of Saccharin and
Its Salts by NTP and IARC
NTP initially listed saccharin as ``reasonably anticipated to be a
human carcinogen'' in its 2nd ROC, published in 1981, based on
sufficient evidence, at that time, of carcinogenicity in experimental
animals. Specifically, the listing was based on increased
[[Page 78921]]
incidence of bladder tumors in experimental animals, especially male
rats, when they were fed sodium saccharin. However, saccharin was
removed, or delisted, by NTP in its 9th ROC, published in 2000. The
delisting decision for saccharin was made on the basis of a formal
review process adopted by NTP, which included two Federal and one non-
governmental scientific peer review and public comment and review.
In the ROC and its background document, NTP summarized its
evaluation supporting the decision to remove saccharin as ``reasonably
anticipated to be a human carcinogen'' as follows:
``There is evidence of the carcinogenicity of saccharin in rats
but less convincing evidence in mice. Mechanistic studies indicate
that the observed urinary bladder cancers in rat studies are related
to urinary pH, osmolality, volume, presence of precipitate and
urothelial damage with attendant hyperplasia following dietary
concentrations of 3% or higher with inconsistent findings at lower
dietary concentrations. The factors thought to contribute to tumor
induction by sodium saccharin in rats would not be expected to occur
in humans. The mouse data are inconsistent and require verification
by additional studies. Results of several epidemiology studies
indicate no clear association between saccharin consumption and
urinary bladder cancer. Although it is impossible to absolutely
conclude that it poses no threat to human health, sodium saccharin
is not reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen under
conditions of general usage as an artificial sweetener.''
The available epidemiology studies, according to NTP, mostly examined
associations between urinary bladder cancer and artificial sweeteners,
rather than saccharin per se. The time trend data for bladder cancer
from these studies were thought to be essentially noninformative with
no clear indication that the increased use of saccharin or artificial
sweeteners, beginning in the 1940's, was associated with any general
increase in bladder cancer when controlled for confounding factors,
mainly smoking. NTP's decision to delist saccharin, as stated in the
ROC, was as follows:
``Saccharin will be delisted from the Report on Carcinogens,
because the rodent cancer data are not sufficient to meet the
current criteria to list this chemical as reasonably anticipated to
be a human carcinogen. This is based on the perception that the
observed bladder tumors in rats arise by mechanisms not relevant to
humans, and the lack of data in humans suggesting a carcinogenic
hazard.''
IARC first evaluated saccharin in 1980 and concluded the following:
``There is sufficient evidence that saccharin alone, given at
high doses, produces tumours of the urinary tract in male rats * *
*'' (IARC, 1980).
In 1999, IARC presented its last re-evaluation, taking into
consideration all new data on saccharin and its salts. It found that,
based on a review of human studies on the carcinogenicity of artificial
sweeteners, that there is ``no consistent pattern of dose-response
relationship between use of artificial sweeteners and cancers of the
urinary bladder or lower urinary tract is apparent in the available
literature.'' The animal studies in rats with sodium saccharin did show
urinary bladder tumors in the 2-generation studies. However, the
incidence of bladder tumors was significant only at higher doses
(greater than 3% of the diet). Based on this re-evaluation, IARC
concluded the following:
``There is inadequate evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity
of saccharin salts used as sweeteners.''
``There is sufficient evidence in experimental animals for the
carcinogenicity of sodium saccharin.''
``There is inadequate evidence in experimental animals for the
carcinogenicity of saccharin (acid form) and calcium saccharin.''
In making its overall evaluation of the carcinogenic risk from
saccharin and its salts, IARC stated the following:
``In making its evaluation, the Working Group concluded that
sodium saccharin produces urothelial bladder tumours in rats by a
non-DNA-reactive mechanism that involves the formation of urinary
calcium phosphate-containing precipitate, cytotoxicity and enhanced
cell proliferation. This mechanism is not relevant to humans because
of critical interspecies differences in urine composition.''
``Saccharin and its salts are not classifiable as to their
carcinogenicity to humans (Group 3).''
2. Evaluation of Information on Other Toxicological Effects of
Saccharin and Its Salts by NTP and IARC
In addition to the evaluation of information on saccharin's
carcinogenicity, NTP's Background Document and IARC's 1999 re-
evaluation (as presented in IARC Monograph Volume 73) included
information and analysis on other toxicological effects of saccharin
and its salts. Specifically, saccharin, in the form of sodium
saccharin, has generally been tested in rats by feeding the rats diets
containing specified amounts of sodium saccharin. It has not been found
to be acutely toxic in rats based on the criterion for listing
hazardous wastes under Sec. 261.11(a)(2). The LD50 values
for sodium saccharin by oral administration in rats ranged from 14 g/kg
(14,000 mg/kg) to 17 g/kg (17,000 mg/kg) of body weight, which is
significantly higher than the oral LD50 value for rats of
less than 50 mg/kg specified under the listing criterion. A 2-
generation feeding study in rats that were given 1% to 7.5% sodium
saccharin in their diet indicated that a 1% dietary level (500 mg/kg of
body weight) of sodium saccharin represented a no-effect level (NOEL).
There was also no significant increase in the incidence of urinary
bladder tumors at the 3% dietary level of sodium saccharin. Generally,
the studies on mutagenicity, genotoxicity, developmental and
reproductive toxicity using saccharin and sodium saccharin have shown
negative results. For more detailed information and analysis on other
toxicological effects of saccharin and its salts, see NTP's Background
Document and IARC's 1999 re-evaluation in the docket for this final
rule.
B. Evaluation of Waste Generation and Management Information for
Saccharin and Its Salts To Assess the Petition
1. Quantity and Types of Wastes Generated
Saccharin and its salts are listed hazardous wastes, if the waste
arises from the discard of commercial chemical products, manufacturing
chemical intermediates, off-specification material, container residues
or spill residues (EPA Hazardous Waste No. U202 in 40 CFR 261.33(f)).
The U-waste code applies only if the chemical is present in a pure or
technical grade form, or is the sole active ingredient in the chemical
formulation; in addition, the chemical must be unused.
The U202 listing is narrow and does not apply to other discarded
materials that merely contain saccharin or its salts, e.g., discarded
products that contain saccharin as a sweetening agent. Nor does the
listing apply to manufacturing process wastes that may contain
saccharin or its salts, except for unused or off-specification
saccharin or its salts that are discarded. Therefore, U202 is primarily
generated by companies that manufacture saccharin or its salts, use
saccharin or its salts in product formulations (e.g., soft drinks,
cosmetics, pharmaceuticals), and by companies that are discarding small
quantities of unused or off-specification saccharin or its salts, such
as some laboratories.
Facilities are required by EPA to report the amount of hazardous
waste, including U202 generated biennially (every two years) as part of
the Biennial
[[Page 78922]]
Report System, or BRS. Based on the information available from the BRS
for the years 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007, generators reported a total
of 123 specific wastes listed as U202 during this time period (some
generators reported multiple U202 wastes over the years in question).
The total amount of U202 waste generated over this time period was 20
tons for all industries/NAIC Codes; for 2007, there were 4.1 tons of
U202 reported for 29 separate wastes.
Most of the U202 wastes appear to be discarded unused or off
specification material and ``lab packs,'' which package hazardous items
for shipping and disposal. A limited number of other wastes are also
reported, including contaminated debris/soil, organic and aqueous
liquids, and other unidentified material. Although wastes were reported
as ``generated'' by hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal
facilities, the BRS data indicate that nearly all of these wastes were
not generated on-site, but rather were received from off-site for
storage/packing and subsequent transfer for treatment or disposal. To
avoid counting these wastes twice (i.e., the reported wastes from the
generator and again from the waste facility packing/transferring the
waste), one can subtract out the amounts of waste reported by hazardous
waste collection and treatment facilities. Removing the U202 wastes
generated at these hazardous waste handling facilities from the 20 tons
reported for all industries/NAIC Codes noted previously gives a total
of 14.7 tons generated from 2001 through 2007; similarly, removing the
double counting in the 2007 data from the 4.1 tons of U202 reported for
all NAIC Codes gives 2.9 tons for 2007 alone. Therefore, the total
quantity of U202 generated is quite small compared to the total volume
of hazardous waste generated, both on an annual basis and over the
course of four reporting years.\5\
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\5\ For comparison, BRS shows that approximately 47 million tons
of hazardous waste was generated in 2007 (see https://www.epa.gov/osw/inforesources/data/br07/national07.pdf). Also in 2007,
approximately 137 million tons of municipal waste went to landfills
and other disposal (see https://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/msw99.htm).
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2. Factors Considered for Waste Listing
Saccharin and its salts were listed as hazardous waste under the
criterion for listing given in 40 CFR 261.11(a)(3). Under this
criterion, the Agency can list a waste if it contains any of the toxic
constituents identified in 40 CFR part 261, Appendix VIII and, after
considering a number of factors, the Agency concludes that the waste
poses a ``substantial present or potential hazard to human health or
the environment'' when improperly managed. The nature of the toxicity
of a chemical contained in a waste is one of the factors to be
considered in listing a waste as ``toxic'' (see Sec. 261.11(a)(3)(i)).
The Agency cited toxicity as the ``decisive'' factor in listing
commercial chemical products under Sec. 261.33(f), because the waste
is typically the chemical itself (see EPA's Background Document for
Sec. 261.33, April 1981). Saccharin and its salts were listed as toxic
constituents on Appendix VIII of part 261 and subsequently identified
as hazardous wastes in Sec. 261.33(f) based solely on their potential
for carcinogenic effect in humans. Therefore, if the toxicological
basis for listing saccharin and its salts on Appendix VIII of part 261
is removed, then the basis for listing in Sec. 261.33(f) no longer
exists.
Other factors considered in listing a waste under Sec.
261.11(a)(3) are related to the potential of the chemical to migrate if
improperly managed, and include the chemical's persistence and
accumulation potential. However, these other factors are not critical
in a listing evaluation for commercial chemical products containing
saccharin and its salts, because the low toxicity of these chemicals
revealed in scientific studies, including a lack of potential
carcinogenic effect in humans, means that any risk from a plausible
management scenario (e. g., disposal in a landfill) would not be
sufficient to cause a substantial present or potential hazard to human
health or the environment. In addition, the quantity of waste generated
from the discard of saccharin and its salts by individual facilities
and on a nationwide basis (Sec. 261.11(a)(3)(viii)) is relatively
small, as described previously, which further reduces any potential
hazard that might arise from disposal of the waste. The generators are
distributed across the nation, located in 42 different counties
according to BRS data, reducing the likelihood of significant co-
disposal in the same landfill.
Additionally, one of the other factors for EPA to consider is
action taken by other governmental agencies and regulatory programs
(Sec. 261.11(a)(3)(x)). These actions also demonstrate that saccharin
and its salts do not present a substantial hazard to human health or
the environment. These actions include: (1) The determinations by NTP
and IARC that saccharin is not a potential human carcinogen, as
discussed previously; (2) the State of California's removal of
saccharin and its salts from its list of chemicals known to cause
cancer or reproductive toxicity (under its Safe Drinking Water and
Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, known as ``proposition 65''); \6\ and
(3) the FDA's approval of a variety of uses of saccharin in food,
cosmetics, and drugs, and the elimination of the warning label on food
containing saccharin.\7\ Saccharin and its salts continue to be used
widely as a non-nutritive sweetener in food products and are also used
in products, such as toothpaste, mouthwash, chewing gum, confections,
and pharmaceuticals.
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\6\ California EPA, Office of Environmental Health Hazard
Assessment, Notice to Interested Parties for Chemical Delisted
Effective April 6, 2001 and Notice to Interested Parties for
Chemical Delisted Effective January 17, 2003 (available in the
docket for this proposed rulemaking).
\7\ Section 517, Title V, Appendix A, Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2001 (Pub. L. 106-554, 114 Stat. 2763),
repealed 21 U.S.C. 343(o), the saccharin warning statement
requirement.
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Furthermore, as noted previously in section V.A.2., the information
reviewed indicates that saccharin and its salts are not acutely toxic,
and as such, they would not meet the criterion for listing hazardous
wastes under Sec. 261.11(a)(2). Moreover, saccharin and its salts do
not meet the criterion under Sec. 261.11(a)(1), because saccharin and
its salts are not expected to exhibit any of the characteristics of
hazardous waste, i.e., ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and
toxicity, as described in 40 CFR 261.21 through 261.24.
Finally, the Agency needed to consider only one factor in listing
saccharin and its salts as hazardous substances under CERCLA. Under the
statutory provisions of section 101(14)(C) of CERCLA, a hazardous waste
that exhibits one or more of the hazardous waste characteristics or
specifically is listed as a hazardous waste under RCRA becomes a
hazardous substance under CERCLA.\8\ As a result, saccharin and its
salts were listed in 40 CFR 302.4 and designated as hazardous
substances under section 102(a) of CERCLA. The Agency no longer has an
independent basis upon which to retain saccharin and its salts as
CERCLA hazardous substances and is taking action to remove saccharin
and its salts
[[Page 78923]]
from the list of CERCLA hazardous substances.
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\8\ In addition, hazardous substances include: (1) Any substance
designated pursuant to section 311(b)(2)(A) of the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act; (2) any element, compound, mixture, solution,
or substance designated pursuant to section 102 of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; (3) any
toxic pollutant listed under section 307(a) of the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act; (4) any hazardous air pollutant listed under
section 112 of the Clean Air Act; and (5) any imminently hazardous
chemical substance or mixture with respect to which the
Administrator has taken action pursuant to section 7 of the Toxic
Substances Control Act. Saccharin and its salts are not included on
any of these lists.
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VI. Response to Comments and Rationale for the Final Rule
A. Response to Comments
EPA received comments from the CCC and the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) in response to the
proposed rule. The CCC supported EPA's proposal, which responded to
CCC's April 30, 2003 petition, to remove saccharin and its salts from
the lists of hazardous constituents, hazardous wastes and hazardous
substances. In its comments, CCC stated that the current scientific
evidence for saccharin and EPA's own assessment supports the Agency's
proposed decision to remove saccharin and its salts from its lists.
NYSDEC's comments do not present any concerns about EPA's proposal to
remove saccharin and its salts from its lists. Instead, NYSDEC's
comments request clarification regarding the regulatory status of a
discarded unused chemical product containing multiple ingredients
(i.e., saccharin-containing nicotine gum) under 40 CFR 261.33. Since
EPA's proposal was for removing saccharin and its salts from its lists,
the Agency does not consider NYSDEC's comments to be within the scope
of the rule and therefore, not relevant to its decision on finalizing
the proposal. The entire comments submitted by CCC and NYSDEC in
response to the proposed rule are available in the docket for this
rulemaking.
B. EPA's Rationale for Granting the Petition
In summary, the comments on the proposed rule were either
supportive or requested clarification on an issue that is not relevant
to EPA's proposed decision; the Agency received no comments that
disagreed with EPA's proposal to remove saccharin and its salts from
the lists of hazardous constituents (40 CFR part 261, Appendix VIII),
hazardous wastes (40 CFR 261.33(f)), and hazardous substances (40 CFR
302.4). EPA believes that saccharin and its salts, based on the results
of the latest reviews of the available scientific information performed
by NTP and IARC, do not pose a present or potential risk of causing
toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic or teratogenic effects on humans or
other life forms. This is because saccharin and its salts: (1) Are not
found to be highly toxic in scientific studies; (2) are not reasonably
expected to have carcinogenic effects in humans and carcinogenic
effects in experimental animals (i.e., rats) have been observed mainly
at higher doses (greater than 3% of the diet) and effect mechanisms
that are not relevant to humans; and (3) are not reasonably expected to
be mutagenic or teratogenic. Therefore, there is no basis for retaining
saccharin and its salts as a hazardous constituent listed on Appendix
VIII of Part 261.
EPA also believes that saccharin and its salts, based on a review
of the evaluations conducted by NTP and IARC concerning the
carcinogenic and other potential toxicological effects of saccharin and
its salts, as well as EPA's own assessment of waste generation and
management information for saccharin and its salts, do not meet the
criteria for listing as hazardous wastes under 40 CFR 261.11. This is
because saccharin and its salts: (1) Are not known to exhibit any of
the characteristics of hazardous wastes identified in 40 CFR 261.21
through 261.24; (2) are not found to be acutely toxic in studies with
animals; (3) are not found to be highly toxic in non-acute (longer-
term) scientific studies; (4) are not discarded annually in a quantity
which could reasonably be considered to pose a ``substantial present or
potential hazard to human health or the environment'' when improperly
treated, stored, transported, or disposed of, or otherwise managed; and
(5) are not considered hazardous by other government agencies and
regulatory programs. Therefore, there is no basis for retaining the
listing for saccharin and its salts as a hazardous waste under 40 CFR
261.33(f).
EPA's listing of saccharin and its salts as hazardous substances
under CERCLA (40 CFR 302.4) was based solely upon these substances
being listed as U202 hazardous wastes under RCRA (40 CFR 261.33(f)).
Therefore, since the Agency is removing saccharin and its salts as U202
listed hazardous wastes and saccharin and its salts are not designated
or listed as hazardous substances on any of the other environmental
statutes identified in section 101(14) of CERCLA that defines the term
``hazardous substance,'' there exists no independent basis for
retaining saccharin and its salts on CERCLA's list of hazardous
substances (40 CFR 302.4). Based on the above conclusions, EPA has
decided to finalize the proposed rule granting CCC's petition without
any substantive changes.
VII. Status of Land Disposal Restrictions for U202 Listed Wastes
As discussed in the previous section, the Agency is removing
saccharin and its salts from the list of unused commercial chemical
products, manufacturing chemical intermediates, off-specification
material, container residues, and spill residues which are hazardous
wastes when discarded or intended to be discarded (40 CFR 261.33(f)).
These chemicals are specifically listed as RCRA Hazardous Waste No.
U202 under 40 CFR 261.33(f). The regulations under 40 CFR part 268,
prohibit the land disposal of RCRA hazardous waste unless they meet a
certain level or have been treated by a technology specified by EPA
prior to land disposal. See the table ``Treatment Standards for
Hazardous Wastes'' in Sec. 268.40. The land disposal restrictions
(LDRs) only apply to solid wastes that are RCRA hazardous wastes.
Because saccharin and its salts are being removed from the list of
hazardous wastes based on this final rule, they would not be subject to
the LDRs. Therefore, EPA is also removing saccharin and its salts from
the table ``Treatment Standards for Hazardous Wastes'' in Sec. 268.40.
VIII. State Authorization
A. Applicability of the Rule in Authorized States
Under section 3006 of RCRA, EPA may authorize a qualified State to
administer and enforce a hazardous waste program within the State in
lieu of the Federal program, and to issue and enforce permits in the
State. Following authorization, EPA retains enforcement authority under
sections 3008, 3013, and 7003 of RCRA, although authorized States have
primary enforcement responsibility. The standards and requirements for
State authorization are found at 40 CFR part 271.
Prior to enactment of the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of
1984 (HSWA), a State with final RCRA authorization administered its
hazardous waste program entirely in lieu of EPA administering the
Federal program in that State. The Federal requirements no longer
applied in the authorized State, and EPA could not issue permits for
any facilities in that State, since only the State was authorized to
issue RCRA permits. When new, more stringent Federal requirements were
promulgated, the State is obligated to enact equivalent authorities
within specified timeframes. However, the new Federal requirements do
not take effect in an authorized State until the State adopted the
Federal requirements as State law.
In contrast, under RCRA section 3006(g), (42 U.S.C. 6926(g)), new
Federal requirements and prohibitions imposed pursuant to HSWA
authority take effect in authorized States at the same time that they
take effect in
[[Page 78924]]
unauthorized States. Although authorized States still are required to
update their hazardous waste programs to remain equivalent to the
Federal program, EPA is directed by the statute to implement the
requirements and prohibitions in authorized States, including the
issuance of new permits implementing those requirements, until EPA
authorizes the State to do so.
Authorized States are required to modify their programs only when
EPA promulgates Federal requirements that are more stringent or broader
in scope than existing Federal requirements. RCRA section 3009 allows
the States to impose standards more stringent than those in the Federal
program. See also 40 CFR 271.1(i). Therefore, authorized States may,
but are not required to adopt Federal regulations, both HSWA or non-
HSWA, that are considered less stringent than previous Federal
requirements.
B. Effect on State Authorization
This rule is promulgated pursuant to non-HSWA authority. The
changes included in this rule are less stringent than the current
Federal requirements. Therefore, States will not be required to adopt
and seek authorization for these changes. EPA will implement the
changes in this rule only in those States which are not authorized for
the RCRA program. Nevertheless, EPA believes that this rule has
considerable merit, and the Agency thus strongly encourages States to
amend their programs and become Federally-authorized to implement this
rule.
IX. CERCLA Designation and List of Hazardous Substances and Reportable
Quantities
Section 101(14) of CERCLA defines the term ``hazardous substance''
as those substances designated or listed under several other
environmental statutes and those substances designated by EPA as
hazardous under CERCLA section 102(a). In particular, CERCLA section
101(14)(C) incorporates by reference any hazardous waste having the
characteristics identified under or listed pursuant to section 3001 of
the Solid Waste Disposal Act. CERCLA section 102(a) authorizes EPA to
designate as hazardous those substances that, when released into the
environment, may present substantial danger to the public health,
welfare or the environment, and to establish the reportable quantity
(RQ) for all CERCLA hazardous substances. CERCLA section 102(b) sets a
RQ of one pound (statutory RQ) for hazardous substances, except those
for which RQs have been established pursuant to section 311(b)(4) of
the Clean Water Act (CWA). A list of CERCLA hazardous substances with
their corresponding RQs is provided in Table 302.4 at 40 CFR part 302.
CERCLA section 103 requires any person who releases a CERCLA hazardous
substance in an amount equal to or greater than its RQ to report the
release immediately to the National Response Center.
On April 4, 1985, EPA issued a final rule, ``Notification
Requirements, Reportable Quantity Adjustments; Final Rule and Proposed
Rule'' (see 50 FR 13456). The final rule retained the statutory RQ of
one pound for saccharin and its salts with a note that the final RQ is
subject to change when the assessment of potential carcinogenicity and/
or chronic toxicity is completed.
On March 16, 1987, EPA proposed to adjust the statutory RQ for
saccharin and its salts to 100 pounds (45.5 kg) (see 52 FR 8140), which
EPA finalized on August 14, 1989 (see 54 FR 33418). Saccharin and its
salts, at the time of RQ adjustment, were classified as weight of
evidence Group C,\9\ potency Group 3 \10\ substances and received a
``low'' hazard ranking.
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\9\ Group C (possible human carcinogen) includes hazardous
substances with ``limited'' evidence of carcinogenicity in animals
and ``inadequate evidence,'' ``no data,'' or ``no evidence'' from
human epidemiologic studies.
\10\ Group 3--``low'' hazard category. RQ levels are assigned to
the hazard rankings as follows: high (one pound RQ), medium (10
pound RQ), and low (100 pound RQ).
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In this rule, the Agency is removing saccharin and its salts \11\
from the list of CERCLA hazardous substances in conjunction with the
removal of saccharin and its salts from the list of hazardous
constituents (40 CFR part 261, Appendix VIII) and the list of
commercial chemical products deemed hazardous waste (40 CFR 261.33(f)).
With removal of the RCRA hazardous waste listing, the Agency does not
have an independent basis upon which to retain saccharin and its salts
as CERCLA hazardous substances. That is, the Agency's designation of
saccharin and its salts under section 102(a) was based solely upon its
inclusion as a hazardous substance under section 101(14)(C) of CERCLA.
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\11\ The Agency is also removing the chemical name for saccharin
and its salts, 1,2-Benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one, 1,1-dioxide, & salts
which appears as a separate entry on the list of CERCLA hazardous
substances.
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X. Relationship to Other Rules
This action is not intended, and should not be inferred, to affect
the status of saccharin and its salts under any statute or program
other than RCRA and CERCLA. The granting of CCC's petition does not
remove saccharin from the EPCRA section 313 list, which requires annual
reporting of environmental releases of toxic chemicals.
XI. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
A. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory Planning and Review
This action is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under the
terms of Executive Order (EO) 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993) and
is therefore not subject to review under the EO.
B. Paperwork Reduction Act
This action does not impose an information collection burden under
the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.
Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.3(b). In fact, EPA expects that the
total annual respondent burden from this final rule would result in a
net reduction in national annual paperwork burden to the affected
facilities because of elimination of hazardous waste, and CERCLA
hazardous substance reporting requirements. EPA also expects this rule
to result in net annual cost savings to these same facilities from
reduced waste management costs, by the expected shift of waste
management from RCRA Subtitle C hazardous waste management, to RCRA
Subtitle D nonhazardous waste management.
C. Regulatory Flexibility Act
The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) generally requires an agency
to prepare a regulatory flexibility analysis of any rule subject to
notice and comment rulemaking requirements under the Administrative
Procedure Act or any other statute, unless the agency certifies that
the rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities. Small entities include small businesses,
small organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions.
For purposes of assessing the impacts of today's rule on small
entities, small entity is defined as: (1) A small business as defined
by the Small Business Administration's (SBA) regulations at 13 CFR
121.201; (2) a small governmental jurisdiction that is a government of
a city, county, town, school district or special district with a
population of less than 50,000; and (3) a small organization that is
any not-for-profit enterprise which is independently owned and operated
and is not dominant in its field.
After considering the economic impacts of today's final rule on
small entities, I certify that this action will not
[[Page 78925]]
have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
entities. In determining whether a rule has a significant economic
impact on a substantial number of small entities, the impact of concern
is any significant adverse economic impact on small entities, since the
primary purpose of the regulatory flexibility analyses is to identify
and address regulatory alternatives ``which minimize any significant
economic impact of the final rule on small entities'' (5 U.S.C. 603 and
604). Thus, an agency may certify that a rule will not have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities
if the rule relieves regulatory burden, or otherwise has a positive
economic effect on small entities subject to the rule.
This action is designed to lower the cost of waste management for
affected entities, by removing saccharin and its salts from the lists
of hazardous constituents and commercial chemical products which are
hazardous wastes when discarded or intended to be discarded under RCRA
and from the list of hazardous substances under CERCLA. We have
therefore concluded that today's final rule will relieve regulatory
burden for all affected small entities.
D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
This action contains no Federal mandates under the provisions of
Title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), 2 U.S.C.
1531-1538 for State, local, or tribal governments or the private
sector. This is because this final rule imposes no enforceable duty on
any State, local, or tribal governments or the private sector.
Therefore, this action is not subject to the requirements of sections
202 or 205 of the UMRA.
This action is also not subject to the requirements of section 203
of UMRA because it contains no regulatory requirements that might
significantly or uniquely affect small governments.
E. Executive Order 13132: Federalism
This action does not have federalism implications. It will not have
substantial direct effects on the States, on the relationship between
the national government and the States, or on the distribution of power
and responsibilities among the various levels of government, as
specified in Executive Order 13132. This final rule primarily affects
generators of certain hazardous wastes from the discard of unused
commercial products that contain saccharin and its salts. There are no
State and local government bodies that incur direct compliance costs by
this rulemaking. Thus, Executive Order 13132 does not apply to this
action.
F. Executive Order 13175: Consultation and Coordination With Indian
Tribal Governments
This action does not have tribal implications, as specified in
Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000). This final rule
does not significantly or uniquely affect the communities of Indian
tribal governments, nor would it impose substantial direct compliance
costs on them. Thus, Executive Order 13175 does not apply to this rule.
G. Executive Order 13045: Protection of Children From Environmental
Health and Safety Risks
This action is not subject to EO 13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23,
1997) because it is not economically significant as defined in EO
12866, and because the Agency does not believe the environmental health
or safety risks addressed by this action present a disproportionate
risk to children.
H. Executive Order 13211: Actions That Significantly Affect Energy
Supply, Distribution, or Use
This action is not subject to Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355,
May 22, 2001), because it is not a significant regulatory action under
Executive Order 12866.
I. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act
Section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (``NTTAA''), Public Law 104-113, section 12(d) (15 U.S.C.
272 note) directs EPA to use voluntary consensus standards in its
regulatory activities, unless to do so would be inconsistent with
applicable law or otherwise impractical. Voluntary consensus standards
are technical standards (e.g., materials specifications, test methods,
sampling procedures, and business practices) that are developed or
adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies. NTTAA directs EPA to
provide Congress, through OMB, explanations when the Agency decides not
to use available and applicable voluntary consensus standards.
This action does not involve technical standards. Therefore, EPA is
not considering the use of any voluntary consensus standards.
J. Executive Order 12898: Federal Actions To Address Environmental
Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations
Executive Order (EO) 12898 (59 FR 7629, Feb. 16, 1994) establishes
Federal executive policy on environmental justice. Its main provision
directs Federal agencies, to the greatest extent practicable and
permitted by law, to make environmental justice part of their mission
by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high
and adverse human health or environmental effects of their programs,
policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income
populations in the United States.
EPA has determined that this final rule will not have
disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental
effects on minority or low-income populations because it does not
affect the level of protection provided to human health or the
environment. EPA is committed to addressing environmental justice
concerns and has assumed a leadership role in environmental justice
initiatives to enhance environmental quality for all citizens of the
United States. The Agency's goals are to ensure that no segment of the
population, regardless of race, color, national origin, income, or net
worth bears disproportionately high and adverse human health and
environmental impacts as a result of EPA's policies, programs, and
activities. Our goal is to ensure that all citizens live in clean and
sustainable communities. In response to Executive Order 12898, and to
concerns voiced by many groups outside the Agency, EPA's Office of
Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) formed an Environmental
Justice Task Force to analyze the array of environmental justice issues
specific to waste programs and to develop an overall strategy to
identify and address these issues (OSWER Directive No. 9200.3-17).
The Agency's assessment, based on the small quantity of saccharin
and its salts that are estimated to be discarded by affected facilities
and their relatively low toxicity, is that there is no significant risk
to human health or the environment from managing saccharin and its
salts in nonhazardous waste landfills (the plausible management
scenario). As noted previously in section V.B.2., the facilities that
generate these small quantities of waste are distributed across the
nation, which makes it unlikely that any one segment of the population
would be impacted disproportionately from management of this
nonhazardous waste.
[[Page 78926]]
K. Congressional Review Act
The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally
provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating
the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule,
to each house of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the
United States. EPA will submit a report containing this rule to the
U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Comptroller
General of the United States prior to publication of the rule in the
Federal Register. This action is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5
U.S.C. 804(2). This rule will be effective on January 18, 2011.
List of Subjects
40 CFR Part 261
Hazardous waste, Recycling, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
40 CFR Part 268
Hazardous waste, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
40 CFR Part 302
Air pollution control, Chemicals, Hazardous substances, Hazardous
waste, Intergovernmental relations, Natural resources, Reporting and
record keeping requirements, Superfund, Water pollution control, Water
supply.
Dated: December 13, 2010.
Lisa P. Jackson,
Administrator.
0
For the reasons set out in the preamble, title 40, chapter I of the
Code of Federal Regulations is amended as follows:
PART 261--IDENTIFICATION AND LISTING OF HAZARDOUS WASTE
0
1. The authority citation for part 261 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6905, 6912(a), 6921, 6922, 6924(y) and
6938.
Sec. 261.33 [Amended]
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2. Section 261.33 is amended by removing the entries for the U202
hazardous waste in the table under paragraph (f).
Appendix VIII [Amended]
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3. Appendix VIII to part 261 is amended by removing the entries for
``Saccharin'' and ``Saccharin salts'' from the table ``Hazardous
Constituents.''
PART 268--LAND DISPOSAL RESTRICTIONS
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4. The authority citation for part 268 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6905, 6912(a), 6921, and 6924.
Sec. 268.40 [Amended]
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5. Section 268.40 is amended by removing the entry for waste code U202
from the table ``Treatment Standards for Hazardous Wastes.''
Appendix VII [Amended]
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6. Appendix VII to part 268 is amended by removing the entry for waste
code U202 from Table 1, ``Effective Dates of Surface Disposed Wastes
(Non-Soil and Debris) Regulated in the LDRs--Comprehensive List.''
PART 302--DESIGNATION, REPORTABLE QUANTITIES, AND NOTIFICATION
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7. The authority citation for part 302 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 9602, 9603, and 9604; 33 U.S.C. 1321 and
1361.
Sec. 302.4 [Amended]
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8. Section 302.4 is amended as follows:
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a. By removing the entry for ``1,2-Benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one, 1,1-
dioxide, & salts'' from Table 302.4.
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b. By removing the entry for ``Saccharin, & salts'' from Table 302.4.
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c. By removing the entry for ``81072 Saccharin, & salts. 1,2-
Benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one, 1,1-dioxide, & salts'' from Appendix A to
Sec. 302.4.
[FR Doc. 2010-31773 Filed 12-16-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P