Confidential business information and data transfer,

[Federal Register: July 7, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 129)]

[Notices]

[Page 36682]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr07jy99-65]

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6367-6]

Transfer of Confidential Business Information to Contractors

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of transfer of data and request for comments.

SUMMARY: EPA will transfer to its contractors, ERG, Inc. and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) Confidential Business Information (CBI) that has been or will be submitted to EPA under section 3007 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Under RCRA, EPA is involved in activities to support, expand and implement solid and hazardous waste regulations.

DATES: Transfer of confidential data submitted to EPA will occur no sooner than July 19, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Regina Magbie, Document Control Officer, Office of Solid Waste (5305W), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. Comments should be identified as ``Transfer of Confidential Data.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Regina Magbie, Document Control Officer, Office of Solid Waste (5305W), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460, 703-308-7909.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Transfer of Confidential Business Information

Under EPA Contract No. 68-C5-0032, ERG., Inc. will support the Office of Water in developing and effluent guidelines rule for industrial laundries. As part of this effort, the contractor ERG., Inc. has conducted numerous site visits at industrial laundries, and implemented a national survey dealing with the demographics of materials handled by industrial laundries, including their major customers, the types and volumes of materials they launder, the technologies used to launder the incoming materials, and the concentration and volumes of discharges to the air, surface waters and landfills. Also, associated with this effort has been the development of economic and environmental impacts for this industry.

Similarly, under EPA Contract 68-W-98-025, SAIC, Inc. will support the Office of Solid Waste in developing a proposed rule for solvent- contaminated shop towels, wipes and rags that could affect an impact both generation facilities, such as printers and furniture manufacturers, and industrial laundries. As part of this effort, supporting data will be provided by the Office of Water and their contractor.

The industrial laundry industry is quiet sensitive to having EPA reveal facility specific information that could jeopardize their competitive position. As a result, a considerable amount of facilities where site visits were conducted claimed CBI. The purpose of our visits is to better understand the relationship between the types and quantities of sludges generated by an industrial laundry as a function of (1) Incoming materials, particularly solvent-contaminated shop towels, and (2) the types of technologies industrial laundries might use to either remove RCRA hazardous solvents prior to the laundering process, such as centrifuges or hydraulic presses, or other technologies a laundry might employ to treat hazardous solvents during the laundering process, such as steam stripping. Therefore, RCRA CBI may be claimed by an industrial laundry facility because we are collecting data associated with the above, including performance and cost data associated with pretreatment and treatment technologies, and sludge characterization data.

In accordance with 40 CFR 2.305(h) (see 42 U.S.C. 6927(b)), EPA has determined that ERG, Inc. and SAIC, Inc. require access to CBI submitted to EPA under the authority of RCRA to perform work satisfactorily under the above-noted contract. EPA is submitting this notice to inform all submitters of CBI of EPA's intent to transfer CBI to these firms on a need-to-know basis. Upon completing its review of materials submitted, ERG. Inc. and SAIC, Inc. will return all CBI to EPA.

EPA will authorize ERG, Inc. and SAIC, Inc. access to RCRA CBI under the conditions and terms in EPA's ``Contractor Requirements for the Control and Security of RCRA Confidential Business Information Security Manual.'' Prior to transferring CBI to ERG, Inc. and SAIC, Inc. EPA will review and approve its security plans and ERG, Inc. and SAIC, Inc. will sign non-disclosure agreements.

Dated: June 30, 1999. Elizabeth Cotsworth, Acting Director, Office of Solid Waste.

[FR Doc. 99-17201Filed7-6-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P