Environmental Protection Agency February 28, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92463, EPA gives notice of two teleconference meetings of the Environmental Technology Subcommittee of the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT). NACEPT provides advice and recommendations to the Administrator of EPA on a broad range of environmental policy, technology, and management issues. The Environmental Technology Subcommittee was formed to assist EPA in evaluating its current and potential role in the development and commercialization of environmental technologies by suggesting how to optimize existing EPA programs to facilitate the development of sustainable private sector technologies, and by suggesting alternative approaches to achieving these goals. The purpose of the teleconference meetings is to discuss the Subcommittee's latest report on actions EPA can take to engage more effectively with venture capitalists, and other members of the financial services sector, who invest in the development and commercialization of environmental technologies.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA or Agency) Office of the Science Advisor (OSA) is announcing an external peer- review meeting to review the draft document titled, ``Framework for Determining a Mutagenic Mode of Action for Carcinogenicity: Using EPA's 2005 Cancer Guidelines and Supplemental Guidance for Assessing Susceptibility From Early-Life Exposure to Carcinogens'' (or Framework). The draft document was prepared by the Mutagenic Mode of Action Workgroup of EPA's Risk Assessment Forum and has recently undergone public review and comment. Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG), an EPA contractor for external scientific review, will convene an independent panel of experts and organize and conduct a peer-review meeting. The panel will review the draft document and may consider public comments received in the official public docket for this activity under docket ID number EPA-HQ-OA-2007-0976, as well as comments made by the public at the external peer review meeting. The draft document and peer-review charge are available at https:// www.epa.gov/osa/mmoaframework/index.htm. In preparing a final document, EPA will consider the public comments submitted to EPA's docket during the public comment period, and the comments and recommendations from the external peer-review meeting, including any oral public comments made at the meeting. EPA is releasing this draft document solely for the purpose of pre- dissemination peer review under applicable information quality guidelines. This document has not been formally disseminated by the EPA. It does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency policy or determination. This notice announces the external peer-review meeting location and dates, and how to pre-register as an observer and how to sign up to make oral comments at the meeting.

EPA proposes to approve the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Maryland. The revisions update the SIP's reference to the EPA definition of ``Volatile organic compounds (VOC).'' In the Final Rules section of this Federal Register, EPA is approving the State's SIP submittal as a direct final rule without prior proposal because the Agency views this as a noncontroversial submittal and anticipates no adverse comments. A detailed rationale for the approval is set forth in the direct final rule. If no adverse comments are received in response to this action, no further activity is contemplated. If EPA receives adverse comments, the direct final rule will be withdrawn and all public comments received will be addressed in a subsequent final rule based on this proposed rule. EPA will not institute a second comment period. Any parties interested in commenting on this action should do so at this time.

EPA proposes to approve the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Virginia for the purpose of establishing administrative amendments to the Commonwealth regulation governing source-specific nitrogen oxides (NOX) reasonable available control technology (RACT). In the Final Rules section of this Federal Register, EPA is approving the State's SIP submittal as a direct final rule without prior proposal because the Agency views this as a noncontroversial submittal and anticipates no adverse comments. A detailed rationale for the approval is set forth in the direct final rule. If no adverse comments are received in response to this action, no further activity is contemplated. If EPA receives adverse comments, the direct final rule will be withdrawn and all public comments received will be addressed in a subsequent final rule based on this proposed rule. EPA will not institute a second comment period. Any parties interested in commenting on this action should do so at this time.