Environmental Protection Agency January 6, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Today EPA proposes action to codify in the Agency's regulations changes to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act resulting from the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This proposed action would modify National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System regulations to provide that certain storm water discharges from field activities, including construction, associated with oil and gas exploration, production, processing, or treatment operations, or transmission facilities would be exempt from National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirements. This action also encourages voluntary application of best management practices for oil and gas field activities and operations to minimize the discharge of pollutants in storm water runoff and protect water quality.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92- 463, notice is hereby given that the Good Neighbor Environmental Board will meet in a public teleconference on January 25, 2005, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The meeting will be hosted out of the main conference room, U.S. EPA, 655 15th Street, NW., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005. The meeting is open to the public, however, due to limited space, seating will be on a registration-only basis. For further information regarding the teleconference meeting, please contact the individual listed below. Background: The Good Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB) is a Federal advisory committee based at the Environmental Protection Agency that reports to the United States President and Congress on Good Neighbor environmental practices along the U.S. border with Mexico. The GNEB consists of representatives from eight Federal government agencies, each of the four U.S. border states, and private and public sector organizations. Each year, the GNEB prepares an annual report to the President and Congress. Purpose of Meeting: The Board has prepared its latest draft annual report, its Ninth Report. The purpose of this teleconference is for the Board to review, discuss, and decide whether to approve the recommendations in the report. Availability of Review Materials: If you wish to receive a copy of the draft recommendations, please contact Ms. Elaine Koerner, Designated Federal Officer for the Board, at the number below.

This notice announces that pesticide related information submitted to EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), including information that may have been claimed as Confidential Business Information (CBI) by the submitter, will be tranferred to Lockheed Martin in accordance with 40 CFR 2.307(h)(3) and 2.308(i)(2). Lockheed Martin has been awarded multiple contracts to perform work for OPP, and access to this information will enable Lockheed Martin to fulfill the obligations of the contract.

EPA has environmental concerns with the proposed project regarding impacts to wetlands and cumulative impacts to air quality. Rating EC2.

This notice is to announce that the EPA and the State Department will be hosting a stakeholder meeting to inform U.S. Government viewpoints for the upcoming International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM), where participants are expected to agree to the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM). See the website listed under Unit II. The United States is seeking comments to guide us as we work with other countries and participants to develop a SAICM that promotes the sound management of chemicals while facilitating the movement of chemicals and their products across borders without compromising human health or the environment. There are several working documents that will serve as a basis for the SAICM. This meeting will serve as an opportunity for stakeholders to share their views on these documents before they are finalized at the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) in February 2006.

On November 13, 2003, EPA issued national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) for surface coating of metal cans under section 112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA). This action proposes to amend the final rule to correct errors and clarify sections of the rule. In the Rules and Regulations section of this Federal Register, we are taking direct final action on the proposed amendments because we view the amendments as noncontroversial and anticipate no adverse comments. We have explained our reasons for the amendments in the preamble to the direct final rule. If we receive no adverse comments, the changes set forth in the direct final action will become effective and we will take no further action on the proposed amendments. If we receive adverse comment on one or more distinct amendments, we will publish a timely withdrawal in the Federal Register indicating which amendments in the direct final rule will become effective and which amendments are being withdrawn due to adverse comment. If part or all of the direct final rule in the Rules and Regulations section of today's Federal Register is withdrawn, all comments pertaining to the amendments will be addressed in a subsequent final rule based on these proposed amendments. We will not institute a second comment period on the subsequent final rule. Any parties interested in commenting must do so at this time.