Environmental Protection Agency July 13, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA is announcing a second extension of the public comment period for two related draft documents: (1) ``The Effects of Mountaintop Mines and Valley Fills on Aquatic Ecosystems of the Central Appalachian Coalfields'' (EPA/600/R-09/138A) and (2) ``A Field-based Aquatic Life Benchmark for Conductivity in Central Appalachian Streams'' (EPA/600/R-10/023A). We are specifically extending the comment period to give the public additional time to evaluate the data used to derive a benchmark for conductivity. The original Federal Register notice announcing the public comment period was published on April 12, 2010 (75 FR 18499), and an extension of the public comment period was published on June 1, 2010 (75 FR 30393). By following the link below, reviewers may download the initial data and EPA's derivative data sets that were used to calculate the conductivity benchmark. These reports were developed by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA's Office of Research and Development as part of a set of actions taken by EPA to further clarify and strengthen environmental permitting requirements for Appalachian mountaintop removal and other surface coal mining projects, in coordination with federal and state regulatory agencies (https:// www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/guidance/mining.html).

EPA will be conducting public meetings to provide an opportunity for public involvement during EPA's review of air regulations affecting the oil and natural gas industry. The review in progress covers oil and natural gas exploration and production, as well as natural gas processing, transmission, storage, and distribution. The primary purpose of these meetings is to establish a dialog among government, the affected industry, and other interested members of the public early in the rule development process, as well as to receive information that may be useful to EPA in its review. At these meetings, EPA will explain the regulatory process, provide a brief overview of its regulatory review, solicit information that may be useful to EPA in the review of these rules, and provide an opportunity for participants to ask questions and submit comments. These meetings will be open to the public.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a request to renew an existing approved Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR, entitled: ``Reporting and Recordkeeping for Asbestos Abatement Worker Protection'' and identified by EPA ICR No. 1246.11 and OMB Control No. 2070-0072 is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2011. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection.