Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution: Request for Public Comment, 27502-27504 [2023-08970]

Agencies

• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27502-27504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-08970]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OLEM-2023-0228, FRL-10820-01-OLEM]


Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution: Request for 
Public Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed the 
Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution to reduce plastic 
waste and other post-consumer materials in waterways and oceans, as 
directed by Congress in section 301 of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act. This 
Notice provides the public with an opportunity to share information and 
provide feedback on the draft strategy, which identifies actions where 
EPA can work collaboratively with stakeholders to prevent plastic 
pollution and reduce, reuse, collect, and capture plastic and other 
waste from land-based sources. EPA is seeking public comment from a 
broad array of stakeholders engaged in post-consumer materials 
management and infrastructure, including, but not limited to: state, 
tribal, territorial, and local governments; industry; researchers; 
academia; non-profit organizations; community groups; and international 
organizations. Public comments received will inform the Agency's 
efforts to finalize and implement the strategy and further work with 
stakeholders to implement the actions.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 16, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-
2023-0228. Comments submitted in response to this notice may be 
submitted through the following:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from 
Regulations.gov. EPA may publish any comment received to its public 
docket. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, 
video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. For additional 
submission methods, the full EPA public comment policy, information 
about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making 
effective comments, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket ID 
No. OLEM-2023-0228 for this notice. Comments received may be posted 
without change to https://www.regulations.gov/, including any personal 
information provided. For detailed instructions on sending comments and 
additional information on the Request for Information process, see the 
``Public Participation'' heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning this 
document, contact Tameka Taylor, telephone number 202-564-1510, 
Resource Conservation and Sustainability

[[Page 27503]]

Division, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, Office of Land 
and Emergency Management, Mail Code 5306T, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004; Email: 
[email protected]. For more information on this strategy and 
others developed as part of EPA's Series on Building a Circular Economy 
for All, please visit https://www.epa.gov/circular-economy.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Public Participation

    Response to this request for public comment is voluntary. Submit 
your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2023-0228, at 
https://www.regulations.gov/ (our preferred method), or the other 
methods identified in the ADDRESSES section. Once submitted, comments 
cannot be edited or removed from the docket. The EPA may publish any 
comment received to its public docket. Responses to this request for 
public comment may be submitted by a single party or a team. Responses 
will only be accepted using Microsoft Word (.docx) or Adobe PDF (.pdf) 
file formats. The response document should contain the following:
     Two clearly delineated sections: (1) Cover page with 
company name and contact information; and (2) responses by topic and/or 
that address specific EPA questions.
     1-inch margins (top, bottom, and sides).
     Times New Roman and 12-point font.
    Comments containing references, studies, research, and other 
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies or 
electronic links to the referenced materials. Do not submit to EPA's 
docket at https://www.regulations.gov/ any information you consider to 
be Confidential Business Information (CBI), Proprietary Business 
Information (PBI), or other information whose disclosure is restricted 
by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be 
accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the 
official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish 
to make. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment 
contents located outside of the primary submission (i.e., on the web, 
cloud, or other file sharing system). Please visit: https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets for additional submission 
methods; the full EPA public comment policy; information about CBI, 
PBI, or multimedia submissions; and general guidance on making 
effective comments. No confidential and/or business proprietary 
information, copyrighted information, or personally identifiable 
information should be submitted in response to this notice.
    Privacy Note: All comments received from members of the public will 
be available for public viewing on Regulations.gov. In accordance with 
FAR 15.202(3), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be 
accepted by the Federal Government to form a binding contract. 
Additionally, those submitting responses are solely responsible for all 
expenses associated with response preparation.

II. General Information

A. What is the purpose of this request for public comment?

    Section 301 of the Save our Seas 2.0 Act charges EPA, in 
consultation with stakeholders, with developing a strategy to improve 
post-consumer materials management and infrastructure to reduce plastic 
waste and other post-consumer materials in waterways and oceans. The 
Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, satisfies 
Congress' direction to EPA in section 301 of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act 
to develop a strategy to improve post-consumer materials management and 
infrastructure for the purpose of reducing plastic waste and other 
post-consumer materials in waterways and oceans. EPA's National 
Recycling Strategy was published in November 2021 and primarily focuses 
on enhancing and advancing the national municipal solid waste recycling 
system, including plastic products in municipal solid waste. This 
strategy, the Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, 
builds upon the National Recycling Strategy by focusing on actions to 
reduce, reuse, collect, and capture plastic waste.
    The Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, provides 
voluntary actions that can be implemented in the United States aimed at 
eliminating the release of plastic waste from land-based sources into 
the environment by 2040. This is a domestic strategy that identifies 
strategic objectives and voluntary actions where EPA can work 
collaboratively with U.S. stakeholders to prevent plastic pollution and 
reduce, reuse, collect, and capture plastic and other waste from land-
based sources. The proposed actions under each objective create 
opportunities to shift from a linear approach in plastic materials 
management to a more circular system that is restorative or 
regenerative by design, enables resources to maintain their highest 
value for as long as possible, and aims for the elimination of waste. 
Sea-based sources are not in the scope of this strategy.
    With input from stakeholders, EPA has identified three draft 
objectives for the strategy: (A) Reduce Pollution During Plastic 
Production; (B) Improve post-use materials management; and (C) Prevent 
trash and microplastics from entering waterways and remove escaped 
trash from the environment. The proposed actions under each objective 
support the United States' shift to a circular approach that is 
restorative or regenerative by design, enables resources to maintain 
their highest value for as long as possible, and aims to eliminate 
waste in the management of plastic products. EPA is seeking information 
about the objectives and voluntary actions identified in this draft 
strategy. Public comments will inform the Agency's efforts to finalize 
the strategy and further work with stakeholders to implement actions to 
reduce plastic waste and other post-consumer materials in waterways and 
oceans. This Notice follows in sequence, a previous public comment 
period for the EPA's National Recycling Strategy, which collectively 
satisfies the charge given to EPA by Congress under the SOS 2.0 Act.

III. Request for Information

    In November 2021, EPA held multiple stakeholder feedback sessions 
with federal agencies, states, territories, tribes, industry, and non-
profit organizations to inform the development of this strategy. 
Between November 2021 and July 2022, EPA hosted virtual meetings across 
the country with interested stakeholders to inform the development of 
new grant programs established by the Infrastructure Investment and 
Jobs Act, which further informed the development of this strategy. This 
Notice and any future notices aim to supplement stakeholder engagement 
sessions and, provide all interested individuals and organizations with 
the opportunity to offer valuable input on the voluntary actions 
identified in this strategy. In addition to receiving general feedback 
on the draft strategy, EPA is interested in receiving feedback on the 
following:
     Which actions are the most important and would have the 
greatest positive impact at the local, regional, national, and global 
level?
    [cir] Which actions can best protect human health and environmental 
quality?

[[Page 27504]]

    [cir] Which actions are most important to address environmental 
justice and climate change?
    [cir] What are the key steps and milestones necessary to 
successfully implement the actions in the draft strategy?
     What are the most important roles and/or actions for 
federal agencies to lead?
     Is your organization willing to lead an action or 
collaborate with others to implement actions?
    [cir] What factors would your organization consider when 
determining whether to lead an action?
     What are potential unintended consequences of the proposed 
actions that could impact communities considered overburdened or 
vulnerable, such as shifts in production or management methods?
     What are the key metrics and indicators that EPA should 
use to measure progress in reducing plastic and other waste in 
waterways and oceans?
     What criteria should processes other than mechanical 
recycling meet to be considered ``recycling activities'' (e.g., 
``plastics-to-plastics outputs are `recycling' if the output is a 
product that could again be recycled into another product or to extent 
that it can achieve viable feedstock for new plastic materials'')? How 
should health and environmental impacts be considered in these 
criteria?
     Are there other actions that should be included in this 
strategy?
    [cir] Should EPA expand the scope of the strategy to include sea-
based sources?
    [cir] Should specific types of plastic products be targeted for 
reduction or reuse in this strategy?
     Do you have any additional information or recommendations 
for EPA regarding these or other proposed actions in this draft 
strategy?

IV. Disclaimer and Important Note

    This request for public comment is issued solely for information, 
research and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for 
Proposals (RFP) or a Request for Applications (RFA). Responding to this 
notice will not give any advantage to or preclude any organization or 
individual in any subsequently issued solicitation, RFP, or RFA. Any 
future development activities related to this activity will be 
announced separately. This notice does not represent any award 
commitment on the part of the U.S. Government, nor does it obligate the 
Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission 
of any responses.

    Dated: April 24, 2023.
Carolyn Hoskinson,
Director, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.
[FR Doc. 2023-08970 Filed 5-1-23; 8:45 am]
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