Environmental Protection Agency July 7, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 office is issuing this notice of intent to delete the Jones Sanitation Superfund Site (Site), located in Hyde Park, New York from the National Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comment on this action. The NPL is Appendix B of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), 40 CFR part 300, which EPA promulgated pursuant to section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended. The EPA and the State of New York, through the Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), have determined that potentially responsible parties have implemented all appropriate response actions. Moreover, EPA and NYSDEC have determined that the Site poses no significant threat to public health or the environment. In the ``Rules and Regulations'' Section of today's Federal Register, we are publishing a direct final notice of deletion for the Jones Sanitation Superfund Site without prior notice of this action because we view this as a noncontroversial revision and anticipate no significant adverse comment. We have explained our reasons for this action in the preamble to the direct final deletion. If we receive no significant adverse comment(s) on this notice of intent to delete or the direct final notice of deletion or other notices we may issue, we will not take further action on this notice of intent to delete. If we receive significant adverse comment(s), we will withdraw the direct final notice of deletion and it will not take effect. We will, as appropriate, address all public comments. If, after evaluating public comments, EPA decides to proceed with deletion, we will do so in a subsequent final deletion notice based on this notice of intent to delete. Any parties interested in commenting must do so at this time. For additional information, see the direct final notice of deletion which is located in the Rules section of this Federal Register.

On April 15, 2004, we, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced nationwide designations under the 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). That action designated several counties in the Syracuse area as unclassifiable. The counties in the Syracuse area included in the designation were Onondaga, Madison, Cayuga and Oswego in the State of New York. This action proposes to redesignate the above counties to attainment. We are soliciting comments on this proposed action.

The Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Laboratory Advisory Board (ELAB), as previously announced, will have teleconference meetings on July 20, 2005 at 1 p.m. e.t.; August 17, 2005 at 1 p.m. e.t.; September 21, 2005 at 1 p.m. e.t.; October 19, 2005 at 1 p.m. e.t.; and November 16, 2005 at 1 p.m. e.t. to discuss the ideas and views presented at the previous ELAB meetings, as well as new business. Items to be discussed by ELAB over these coming meetings include: (1) Expanding the number of laboratories seeking National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference (NELAC) accreditation; (2) homeland security issues affecting the laboratory community; (3) ELAB support to the Agency's Forum on Environmental Measurements (FEM); (4) implementing the performance approach; (5) increasing state participation in NELAC; and (6) follow-up on some of ELAB's past recommendations and issues. In addition to these teleconferences, ELAB will be hosting their next face-to-face meeting on July 25, 2005 at the Wyndham City Center Hotel in Washington, DC from 8:30-11:30 a.m. e.t. and an open forum session on August 9, 2005 at the Sheraton Capital Center in Raleigh, North Carolina at 5:30 p.m. e.t. Written comments on laboratory accreditation issues and/or environmental monitoring issues are encouraged and should be sent to Ms. Lara P. Autry, DFO, U.S. EPA (E243-05), 109 T. W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, faxed to (919) 541-4261, or e-mailed to autry.lara@epa.gov. Members of the public are invited to listen to the teleconference calls, and time permitting, will be allowed to comment on issues discussed during this and previous ELAB meetings. Those persons interested in attending should call Lara P. Autry at (919) 541-5544 to obtain teleconference information. The number of lines for the teleconferences, however, are limited and will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis. Preference will be given to a group wishing to attend over a request from an individual.