Request for Nominations of Drinking Water Contaminants for the Fourth Contaminant Candidate List, 27057-27059 [2012-11048]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 89 / Tuesday, May 8, 2012 / Notices 27057 Dated: April 24, 2012. Kevin W. McLean, Acting Associate General Counsel. [FR Doc. 2012–11046 Filed 5–7–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA–HQ–OW–2012–0217; FRL–9669–1] Request for Nominations of Drinking Water Contaminants for the Fourth Contaminant Candidate List Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice and request for public comment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requesting nominations of chemical and microbial contaminants for possible inclusion in the fourth drinking water Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 4). EPA is also requesting supporting information that has been made available since the development of the third CCL (CCL 3), or existing information that was not considered for CCL 3, which shows that the nominated contaminant may have an adverse health effect on people and srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:33 May 07, 2012 Jkt 226001 under the ‘‘Federal Register’’ listings at https://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/. B. How did EPA develop previous contaminant candidate lists? A. Does this action apply to me? This notice does not impose any requirements on anyone; it only requests drinking water contaminant candidate nominations and provides information on how the public can submit nominations to the agency. AGENCY: SUMMARY: occurs or is likely to occur in public water systems. DATES: Nominations must be received on or before June 22, 2012. ADDRESSES: Submit your nominations by one of the following methods: • To the CCL 4 Nominations Web site: https://water.epa.gov/scitech/ drinkingwater/dws/ccl/ccl4.cfm by following the on-line instructions for submitting nominations. • Mail: Water Docket, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460. Identify your nominations by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OW–2012–0217. • Hand Delivery: Water Docket, U.S. EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC). Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket’s normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. The EPA Docket Center, Water Docket is located in Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20004. The telephone number for the Water Docket is (202) 566–2426. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426–4791 or email: hotlinesdwa@epa.gov. For technical questions about this notice and/or inquires regarding EPA’s CCL 4 Nominations Web site, please contact Clifton Townsend, Standards and Risk Management Division, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., MC:4607M, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564–1576; email address: townsend.clifton@epa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. General Information EPA to contact you in case EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties or needs further information on the substance of your comment. Any identifying or contact information provided in the body of a comment will be included as part of the comment that is placed in the official public docket, and made available in EPA’s electronic public docket. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Use of the www.regulations.gov Web site to submit comments to EPA electronically is EPA’s preferred method for receiving comments. The electronic public docket system is an ‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which means EPA will not know your identity, email address, or other contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. In contrast to EPA’s electronic public docket, EPA’s electronic mail (email) system is not an ‘‘anonymous access’’ system. If you send an email comment directly to the Docket without going through www.regulations.gov, your email address is automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the official public docket, and made available in EPA’s electronic public docket. II. Background A. What is the CCL? The CCL is a list of contaminants that are currently not subject to any proposed or promulgated national primary drinking water regulations, that are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems, and which may require regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). EPA uses this list of unregulated contaminants to help the agency determine whether it should regulate a specific contaminant and to prioritize research and data collection efforts. SDWA requires that EPA publish the CCL every five years (SWDA Section 1412(b)(1)). EPA is also required to consult with the scientific community and provide notice and opportunity for public comment prior to publication of the CCL. SDWA also requires EPA to determine whether to regulate at least five contaminants from the CCL every five years (SWDA Section 1412(b)(1)) with a national primary drinking water regulation (NPDWR). In making a determination to regulate a contaminant, SDWA specifies that three criteria must be met: 1. The contaminant may have an adverse effect on the health of persons; 2. The contaminant is known to occur or there is a substantial likelihood that the contaminant will occur in public water systems with a frequency and at levels of public health concern; and 3. In the sole judgment of the Administrator, regulation of such contaminant presents a meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons served by public water systems. EPA published the first CCL (CCL 1), which contained 60 chemical and microbiological contaminants, on March 2, 1998 (63 FR 10273). EPA consulted with the scientific community and the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) on the process used B. How can I get copies of this document to develop CCL 1. Based on the NDWAC and other related information? recommendations, the agency developed and used screening and 1. Docket. EPA has established a evaluation criteria to identify the list of docket for this action under Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OW–2012–0217. Publicly chemical contaminants for CCL 1. For microbiological contaminants, the available docket materials are available agency followed the NDWAC either electronically through recommendations and sought external www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at expertise to identify and select potential the Water Docket in the EPA Docket waterborne pathogens. The agency Center (see ADDRESSES section) convened a workshop of microbiologists 2. Electronic Access. You may access and public health experts who this Federal Register document electronically through the EPA Web site developed criteria for screening and PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\08MYN1.SGM 08MYN1 srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 27058 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 89 / Tuesday, May 8, 2012 / Notices evaluation and subsequently developed an initial list of potential microbiological contaminants. On July 18, 2003 (68 FR 42897), EPA announced its final regulatory determination for 9 of the 60 contaminants listed on CCL 1 and concluded that sufficient data and information were available to make the determination not to regulate these 9 contaminants (8 chemicals and 1 microbial) with an NPDWR. EPA published the second CCL (CCL 2) on February 24, 2005 (70 FR 9071), and carried forward the remaining 51 chemical and microbial contaminants listed on CCL 1. On July 30, 2008 (73 FR 44251), EPA announced its final regulatory determination for 11 of the 51 contaminants listed on CCL 2 and concluded that sufficient data and information were available to make the determination not to regulate these 11 contaminants with an NPDWR. EPA published the third CCL (CCL 3), which listed 116 contaminants, on October 8, 2009 (74 FR 51850). In developing CCL 3, EPA improved and built upon the process that was used for CCL 1 and CCL 2. EPA based the new CCL 3 process on substantial expert input and recommendations from the National Academy of Science’s (NAS) National Research Council (NRC) and the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) as well as input from the public. Based on these consultations and input, EPA developed a multi-step process to select candidates for the final CCL 3, which included the following key steps: (a) Identification of a broad universe of ∼7,500 potential drinking water contaminants (the CCL 3 Universe); (b) screening the CCL 3 Universe to a preliminary CCL (PCCL) of ∼600 contaminants based on the potential to occur in public water systems and the potential for public health concern; and (c) evaluation of the PCCL contaminants based on a more detailed review of the occurrence and health effects data to identify a final list of 116 CCL 3 contaminants. A complete summary of the key steps used to identify contaminants for CCL 3 and a more detailed discussion of the analyses and decisions made to develop the final CCL 3 can be found in the draft and final CCL 3 Federal Register notices (73 FR 9628, February 21, 2008, and 74 FR 51850, October 8, 2009, respectively) and related supporting documents. More information can also be found on the CCL 3 Web site: https:// water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/ dws/ccl/ccl3.cfm. The agency is currently in the process of further evaluating CCL 3 contaminants to determine whether any VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:33 May 07, 2012 Jkt 226001 of these contaminants require regulation with an NPDWR. C. What data sources did EPA use to identify contaminants for the CCL 3? A complete summary of how EPA evaluated data sources to identify chemical contaminants for the CCL 3 can be found in the draft and final CCL 3 Federal Register notices (73 FR 9628, February 21, 2008, and 74 FR 51850, October 8, 2009, respectively). A list of the data sources used to evaluate contaminants for the CCL 3 as well as a more detailed summary of the process EPA used to evaluate data sources can be found in the CCL 3 support document (Contaminant Candidate List 3 Chemicals: Identifying the Universe (EPA 815–R–09–006)). These documents can be found on the Web at: https:// water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/ dws/ccl/ccl3_processflowdiagram.cfm or in the CCL 3 docket (docket number EPA–HQ–OW–2007–1189) at www.regulations.gov. A summary of how EPA evaluated data sources to identify microbial contaminants for CCL 3 can be found in the draft and final CCL 3 Federal Register notices (73 FR 9628, February 21, 2008, and 74 FR 51850, October 8, 2009, respectively), as well as the CCL 3 support document, Contaminant Candidate List 3 Microbes: Identifying the Universe (EPA 815–R–R–09–004), which can be found on the Web at: https://water.epa.gov/scitech/ drinkingwater/dws/ccl/upload/ CCL3MicrobesUniverse_7_22_09.pdf or in the CCL 3 docket (docket number EPA–HQ–OW–2007–1189) at www.regulations.gov. EPA will use the nominations process to ensure that the CCL 4 process captures emerging chemicals and pathogens. D. Why is EPA soliciting contaminant nominations? EPA is requesting contaminant nominations from the public to ensure that contaminants that may not be identified for consideration as part of the CCL process are considered. While NAS and NDWAC recommended that the CCL be a data driven, step-wise approach to classifying contaminants, these experts also recognized the importance of providing an additional pathway for the public to identify new and emerging contaminants that may not be identified in an evaluation of the data sources. A public nominations process allows the agency to consider new and emerging contaminants that might not otherwise be considered because new information PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 has not been widely reported or recorded. Following the recommendations of NAS and NDWAC, the agency implemented a process to screen and identify contaminants for inclusion in the CCL 3. The nominated contaminants will be considered as EPA evaluates contaminants for inclusion on the CCL 4. III. EPA CCL Nominations Process This contaminant nominations process is the first opportunity to make nominations to the CCL 4. The agency will also accept nominations during the notice and comment period following EPA’s publication of the draft CCL 4. A. How can stakeholders, other agencies, industry and the public nominate contaminants for the CCL 4? EPA’s preferred method for submission of contaminant nominations is through the EPA CCL 4 Nomination Web site. Interested parties can also nominate chemicals, microbes or other materials for consideration on the new CCL by sending information electronically or in hard copy to EPA. Do not submit confidential business information (CBI) through email. If you wish to submit CBI, first contact EPA (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section) for instructions on how to submit CBI. When submitting a nomination, it is preferred that the nominators include a name, affiliation, phone number, mailing address, and email address; however, this information is not required and nominations can be submitted anonymously. The nominator should also address the following questions for each contaminant nominated to the CCL: 1. What is the contaminant’s name, CAS number, and/or common synonym (if applicable)? 2. What factors make this contaminant a priority for the CCL 4 process (e.g., widespread occurrence; anticipated toxicity to humans; potentially harmful effects to susceptible populations (e.g., children, elderly or immunocompromised); potentially contaminated source water (surface or ground water) and/or finished water; release to air, land and/or water; contaminant is manufactured in large quantities with a potential to occur in source waters)? 3. What are the new significant health effects and occurrence data that are available since CCL 3, or existing information that was not considered in CCL 3, which you believe supports the CCL requirement(s) that a contaminant may have an adverse effect on the health E:\FR\FM\08MYN1.SGM 08MYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 89 / Tuesday, May 8, 2012 / Notices of persons and is known or anticipated to occur in public water systems? 4. Please provide complete citations, including author(s), title, journal and date. Contact information for the primary investigator would also be helpful. B. How do I submit nominations through EPA’s nominations Web site? The Web site is designed to provide key information to the agency, as described in Section III.A of this notice, for each contaminant nominated to the CCL process. The Web address where you can nominate a contaminant is https:// water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/ dws/ccl/ccl4.cfm C. How do I submit nominations in hard copy? You may submit nominations through the mail. To allow full agency consideration of your nomination, please ensure that your nominations are received or postmarked by midnight June 22, 2012. The addresses for submittal of nominations by mail are listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. D. What will happen to my nominations after I submit them? The agency will evaluate the information available for the nominated contaminants to determine the appropriateness of inclusion on the CCL 4. EPA does not intend to respond to the nominations directly or individually. The agency will publish a document summarizing the nominations received along with the draft CCL 4 list. srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES IV. References Copies of these documents are found at www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. EPA–OW–2012–0217. NAS 2001. National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council. 2001. Classifying Drinking Water Contaminants for Regulatory Consideration. National Academy Press. Washington, DC. Available at https:// books.nap.edu/books/0309074088/html/ index.html. NDWAC 2004. National Drinking Water Advisory Council. National Drinking Water Advisory Council Report on the CCL Classification Process to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, May 18, 2004. Available at https:// www.epa.gov/safewater/ndwac/pdfs/ report_ccl_ndwac_07-06-04.pdf. USEPA. 2008. Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List 3—Draft Notice. Federal Register. Vol, 73. No 35. p. 9628. February 21, 2008. USEPA. 2009a. SAB Advisory on EPA’s Draft Third Drinking Water Contaminant List (CCL 3). EPA–SAB–09–011. January VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:33 May 07, 2012 Jkt 226001 2009. https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/ sabproduct.nsf/ WebProjectsbyNameBOARD!OpenView. USEPA. 2009b. Summary of Nominations for the Third Contaminants Candidate List. EPA 815–R–09–011. Final. August, 2009. USEPA. 2009c. Final Contaminant Candidate List 3 Chemicals: Identifying the Universe. EPA. 815–R–09–006. August, 2009. USEPA. 2009d. Final Contaminant Candidate List 3 Microbes: Identifying the Universe. EPA. 815–R–09–004. August, 2009. Dated: April 27, 2012. Nancy K. Stoner, Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Water. [FR Doc. 2012–11048 Filed 5–7–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Information Collections Being Submitted for Review and Approval to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. AGENCY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3502– 3520), the Federal Communications Commission invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection(s). Comments are requested concerning: whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the Commission’s burden estimates; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and ways to further reduce the information collection burden on small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees. The FCC may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00047 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 27059 does not display a valid OMB control number. Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be submitted on or before June 7, 2012. If you anticipate that you will be submitting PRA comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the FCC contact listed below as soon as possible. ADDRESSES: Submit your PRA comments to Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), via fax at 202–395–5167 or via Internet at Nicholas_A._Fraser@omb.eop.gov mailto : Nicholas_A._Fraser@omb.eop. gov and to Judith B. Herman, Federal Communications Commission, via the Internet at Judith-b.herman@fcc.gov. To submit your PRA comments by email send them to: PRA@fcc.gov mailto: PRA@fcc.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judith B. Herman, Office of Managing Director, FCC, at 202–418–0214. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB Control Number: 3060–0936. Title: Section 95.1215, Medical Device Radiocommunications Service (MedRadio), Disclosure Policies; and Section 95.1217, Labeling Requirements. Form No.: N/A. Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection. Respondents: Business or other forprofit and not-for-profit institutions. Number of Respondents: 100 respondents; 100 responses. Estimated Time Per Response: 1 hour for each manufacturer (20 manufacturers). Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement and third party disclosure requirement. Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. 151 and 303 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. Total Annual Burden: 100 hours. Total Annual Cost: N/A. Privacy Act Impact Assessment: N/A. Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: There is no need for confidentiality. Needs and Uses: The Commission will submit this information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during this 30 day comment period in order to obtain the full three year clearance from them. The Commission now seeks OMB approval for a revision. The Commission adopted and released a Report and Order, FCC 11–176, Amendment of Parts 2 and 95 of the DATES: E:\FR\FM\08MYN1.SGM 08MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 8, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27057-27059]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11048]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2012-0217; FRL-9669-1]


Request for Nominations of Drinking Water Contaminants for the 
Fourth Contaminant Candidate List

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice and request for public comment.

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requesting 
nominations of chemical and microbial contaminants for possible 
inclusion in the fourth drinking water Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 
4). EPA is also requesting supporting information that has been made 
available since the development of the third CCL (CCL 3), or existing 
information that was not considered for CCL 3, which shows that the 
nominated contaminant may have an adverse health effect on people and 
occurs or is likely to occur in public water systems.

DATES: Nominations must be received on or before June 22, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit your nominations by one of the following methods:
     To the CCL 4 Nominations Web site: https://water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/dws/ccl/ccl4.cfm by following the on-line 
instructions for submitting nominations.
     Mail: Water Docket, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 
Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460. 
Identify your nominations by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2012-0217.
     Hand Delivery: Water Docket, U.S. EPA Docket Center (EPA/
DC). Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours 
of operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of 
boxed information. The EPA Docket Center, Water Docket is located in 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20004. The 
telephone number for the Water Docket is (202) 566-2426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact the 
EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791 or email: hotline-sdwa@epa.gov. For technical questions about this notice and/or inquires 
regarding EPA's CCL 4 Nominations Web site, please contact Clifton 
Townsend, Standards and Risk Management Division, Office of Ground 
Water and Drinking Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., MC:4607M, Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: (202) 564-1576; email address: townsend.clifton@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

    This notice does not impose any requirements on anyone; it only 
requests drinking water contaminant candidate nominations and provides 
information on how the public can submit nominations to the agency.

B. How can I get copies of this document and other related information?

    1. Docket. EPA has established a docket for this action under 
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2012-0217. Publicly available docket materials 
are available either electronically through www.regulations.gov or in 
hard copy at the Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center (see ADDRESSES 
section)
    2. Electronic Access. You may access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the EPA Web site under the ``Federal Register'' 
listings at https://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.

II. Background

A. What is the CCL?

    The CCL is a list of contaminants that are currently not subject to 
any proposed or promulgated national primary drinking water 
regulations, that are known or anticipated to occur in public water 
systems, and which may require regulation under the Safe Drinking Water 
Act (SDWA). EPA uses this list of unregulated contaminants to help the 
agency determine whether it should regulate a specific contaminant and 
to prioritize research and data collection efforts. SDWA requires that 
EPA publish the CCL every five years (SWDA Section 1412(b)(1)). EPA is 
also required to consult with the scientific community and provide 
notice and opportunity for public comment prior to publication of the 
CCL.
    SDWA also requires EPA to determine whether to regulate at least 
five contaminants from the CCL every five years (SWDA Section 
1412(b)(1)) with a national primary drinking water regulation (NPDWR). 
In making a determination to regulate a contaminant, SDWA specifies 
that three criteria must be met:
    1. The contaminant may have an adverse effect on the health of 
persons;
    2. The contaminant is known to occur or there is a substantial 
likelihood that the contaminant will occur in public water systems with 
a frequency and at levels of public health concern; and
    3. In the sole judgment of the Administrator, regulation of such 
contaminant presents a meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction 
for persons served by public water systems.

B. How did EPA develop previous contaminant candidate lists?

    EPA published the first CCL (CCL 1), which contained 60 chemical 
and microbiological contaminants, on March 2, 1998 (63 FR 10273). EPA 
consulted with the scientific community and the National Drinking Water 
Advisory Council (NDWAC) on the process used to develop CCL 1. Based on 
the NDWAC recommendations, the agency developed and used screening and 
evaluation criteria to identify the list of chemical contaminants for 
CCL 1. For microbiological contaminants, the agency followed the NDWAC 
recommendations and sought external expertise to identify and select 
potential waterborne pathogens. The agency convened a workshop of 
microbiologists and public health experts who developed criteria for 
screening and

[[Page 27058]]

evaluation and subsequently developed an initial list of potential 
microbiological contaminants. On July 18, 2003 (68 FR 42897), EPA 
announced its final regulatory determination for 9 of the 60 
contaminants listed on CCL 1 and concluded that sufficient data and 
information were available to make the determination not to regulate 
these 9 contaminants (8 chemicals and 1 microbial) with an NPDWR.
    EPA published the second CCL (CCL 2) on February 24, 2005 (70 FR 
9071), and carried forward the remaining 51 chemical and microbial 
contaminants listed on CCL 1. On July 30, 2008 (73 FR 44251), EPA 
announced its final regulatory determination for 11 of the 51 
contaminants listed on CCL 2 and concluded that sufficient data and 
information were available to make the determination not to regulate 
these 11 contaminants with an NPDWR.
    EPA published the third CCL (CCL 3), which listed 116 contaminants, 
on October 8, 2009 (74 FR 51850). In developing CCL 3, EPA improved and 
built upon the process that was used for CCL 1 and CCL 2. EPA based the 
new CCL 3 process on substantial expert input and recommendations from 
the National Academy of Science's (NAS) National Research Council (NRC) 
and the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) as well as 
input from the public. Based on these consultations and input, EPA 
developed a multi-step process to select candidates for the final CCL 
3, which included the following key steps:
    (a) Identification of a broad universe of ~7,500 potential drinking 
water contaminants (the CCL 3 Universe);
    (b) screening the CCL 3 Universe to a preliminary CCL (PCCL) of 
~600 contaminants based on the potential to occur in public water 
systems and the potential for public health concern; and
    (c) evaluation of the PCCL contaminants based on a more detailed 
review of the occurrence and health effects data to identify a final 
list of 116 CCL 3 contaminants.
    A complete summary of the key steps used to identify contaminants 
for CCL 3 and a more detailed discussion of the analyses and decisions 
made to develop the final CCL 3 can be found in the draft and final CCL 
3 Federal Register notices (73 FR 9628, February 21, 2008, and 74 FR 
51850, October 8, 2009, respectively) and related supporting documents. 
More information can also be found on the CCL 3 Web site: https://water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/dws/ccl/ccl3.cfm.
    The agency is currently in the process of further evaluating CCL 3 
contaminants to determine whether any of these contaminants require 
regulation with an NPDWR.

C. What data sources did EPA use to identify contaminants for the CCL 
3?

    A complete summary of how EPA evaluated data sources to identify 
chemical contaminants for the CCL 3 can be found in the draft and final 
CCL 3 Federal Register notices (73 FR 9628, February 21, 2008, and 74 
FR 51850, October 8, 2009, respectively). A list of the data sources 
used to evaluate contaminants for the CCL 3 as well as a more detailed 
summary of the process EPA used to evaluate data sources can be found 
in the CCL 3 support document (Contaminant Candidate List 3 Chemicals: 
Identifying the Universe (EPA 815-R-09-006)). These documents can be 
found on the Web at: https://water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/dws/ccl/ccl3_processflowdiagram.cfm or in the CCL 3 docket (docket number 
EPA-HQ-OW-2007-1189) at www.regulations.gov.
    A summary of how EPA evaluated data sources to identify microbial 
contaminants for CCL 3 can be found in the draft and final CCL 3 
Federal Register notices (73 FR 9628, February 21, 2008, and 74 FR 
51850, October 8, 2009, respectively), as well as the CCL 3 support 
document, Contaminant Candidate List 3 Microbes: Identifying the 
Universe (EPA 815-R-R-09-004), which can be found on the Web at: https://water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/dws/ccl/upload/CCL3MicrobesUniverse_7_22_09.pdf or in the CCL 3 docket (docket 
number EPA-HQ-OW-2007-1189) at www.regulations.gov.
    EPA will use the nominations process to ensure that the CCL 4 
process captures emerging chemicals and pathogens.

D. Why is EPA soliciting contaminant nominations?

    EPA is requesting contaminant nominations from the public to ensure 
that contaminants that may not be identified for consideration as part 
of the CCL process are considered.
    While NAS and NDWAC recommended that the CCL be a data driven, 
step-wise approach to classifying contaminants, these experts also 
recognized the importance of providing an additional pathway for the 
public to identify new and emerging contaminants that may not be 
identified in an evaluation of the data sources. A public nominations 
process allows the agency to consider new and emerging contaminants 
that might not otherwise be considered because new information has not 
been widely reported or recorded.
    Following the recommendations of NAS and NDWAC, the agency 
implemented a process to screen and identify contaminants for inclusion 
in the CCL 3. The nominated contaminants will be considered as EPA 
evaluates contaminants for inclusion on the CCL 4.

III. EPA CCL Nominations Process

    This contaminant nominations process is the first opportunity to 
make nominations to the CCL 4. The agency will also accept nominations 
during the notice and comment period following EPA's publication of the 
draft CCL 4.

A. How can stakeholders, other agencies, industry and the public 
nominate contaminants for the CCL 4?

    EPA's preferred method for submission of contaminant nominations is 
through the EPA CCL 4 Nomination Web site. Interested parties can also 
nominate chemicals, microbes or other materials for consideration on 
the new CCL by sending information electronically or in hard copy to 
EPA. Do not submit confidential business information (CBI) through 
email. If you wish to submit CBI, first contact EPA (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section) for instructions on how to submit CBI. 
When submitting a nomination, it is preferred that the nominators 
include a name, affiliation, phone number, mailing address, and email 
address; however, this information is not required and nominations can 
be submitted anonymously. The nominator should also address the 
following questions for each contaminant nominated to the CCL:
    1. What is the contaminant's name, CAS number, and/or common 
synonym (if applicable)?
    2. What factors make this contaminant a priority for the CCL 4 
process (e.g., widespread occurrence; anticipated toxicity to humans; 
potentially harmful effects to susceptible populations (e.g., children, 
elderly or immunocompromised); potentially contaminated source water 
(surface or ground water) and/or finished water; release to air, land 
and/or water; contaminant is manufactured in large quantities with a 
potential to occur in source waters)?
    3. What are the new significant health effects and occurrence data 
that are available since CCL 3, or existing information that was not 
considered in CCL 3, which you believe supports the CCL requirement(s) 
that a contaminant may have an adverse effect on the health

[[Page 27059]]

of persons and is known or anticipated to occur in public water 
systems?
    4. Please provide complete citations, including author(s), title, 
journal and date. Contact information for the primary investigator 
would also be helpful.

B. How do I submit nominations through EPA's nominations Web site?

    The Web site is designed to provide key information to the agency, 
as described in Section III.A of this notice, for each contaminant 
nominated to the CCL process.
    The Web address where you can nominate a contaminant is https://water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/dws/ccl/ccl4.cfm

C. How do I submit nominations in hard copy?

    You may submit nominations through the mail. To allow full agency 
consideration of your nomination, please ensure that your nominations 
are received or postmarked by midnight June 22, 2012. The addresses for 
submittal of nominations by mail are listed in the ADDRESSES section of 
this document.

D. What will happen to my nominations after I submit them?

    The agency will evaluate the information available for the 
nominated contaminants to determine the appropriateness of inclusion on 
the CCL 4. EPA does not intend to respond to the nominations directly 
or individually. The agency will publish a document summarizing the 
nominations received along with the draft CCL 4 list.

IV. References

    Copies of these documents are found at www.regulations.gov, Docket 
ID No. EPA-OW-2012-0217.

NAS 2001. National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council. 
2001. Classifying Drinking Water Contaminants for Regulatory 
Consideration. National Academy Press. Washington, DC. Available at 
https://books.nap.edu/books/0309074088/html/.
NDWAC 2004. National Drinking Water Advisory Council. National 
Drinking Water Advisory Council Report on the CCL Classification 
Process to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, May 18, 2004. 
Available at https://www.epa.gov/safewater/ndwac/pdfs/report_ccl_ndwac_07-06-04.pdf.
USEPA. 2008. Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List 3--Draft 
Notice. Federal Register. Vol, 73. No 35. p. 9628. February 21, 
2008.
USEPA. 2009a. SAB Advisory on EPA's Draft Third Drinking Water 
Contaminant List (CCL 3). EPA-SAB-09-011. January 2009. https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/WebProjectsbyNameBOARD!OpenView.
USEPA. 2009b. Summary of Nominations for the Third Contaminants 
Candidate List. EPA 815-R-09-011. Final. August, 2009.
USEPA. 2009c. Final Contaminant Candidate List 3 Chemicals: 
Identifying the Universe. EPA. 815-R-09-006. August, 2009.
USEPA. 2009d. Final Contaminant Candidate List 3 Microbes: 
Identifying the Universe. EPA. 815-R-09-004. August, 2009.

    Dated: April 27, 2012.
Nancy K. Stoner,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2012-11048 Filed 5-7-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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