[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 242 (Thursday, December 17, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78728-78729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31664]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OW-2015-0668; 9940-23-OW]
Notice of an Extension To Provide Information on Existing
Programs That Protect Water Quality From Forest Road Discharges
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice; extension of comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the
comment period for the notice, ``Opportunity to Provide Information on
Existing Programs that Protect Water Quality from Forest Road
Discharges.'' In response to stakeholder requests, EPA is extending the
comment period for an additional 32 days, from January 11, 2016, to
February 12, 2016.
DATES: The comment period for the notice, that was published on
November 10, 2015 (80 FR 69653), is extended. Comments must be received
on or before February 12, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2015-0668, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from
Regulations.gov. EPA may publish any comment received to its public
docket. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio,
video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The written
comment is considered the official comment and should include
discussion of all points you wish to make. EPA will generally not
consider comments or comment contents located outside of the primary
submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or other file sharing system). For
additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment policy,
information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general guidance
on making effective comments, please visit http://www2.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Prasad Chumble, EPA Headquarters,
Office of Water, Office of Wastewater Management via email at
[email protected] or telephone at 202-564-0021.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 10, 2015 EPA published in the
Federal Register (80 FR 69653) a request for information and comments
on existing public and private sector programs that address stormwater
discharges from forest roads. This information will assist EPA in
responding to the remand in Environmental Defense Center, Inc. v. U.S.
EPA, 344 F.2d 832 (9th Cir. 2003) that requires EPA to consider whether
the Clean Water Act requires the Agency to regulate stormwater
discharges from forest roads. EPA is considering the implementation,
effectiveness, and scope of existing programs in addressing water
quality impacts attributable to stormwater discharges from forest roads
to assist in responding to the court's question. The Agency plans to
assess a variety of existing programs, including federal, state, local,
tribal, third party certifications, and combinations of these
approaches, including voluntary best management practices (BMP)-based
approaches. In preparing its response to the remand, EPA is
coordinating with other federal agencies, and will assess whether any
additional stormwater controls are called for, consistent with
[[Page 78729]]
federal law, including the 2014 amendments to the Clean Water Act. As
initially published in the Federal Register, written comments were to
be submitted to EPA on or before January 11, 2016 (a 60-day public
comment period). Since publication, EPA has received several requests
for additional time to submit comments. EPA is extending the public
comment period for 32 days until February 12, 2016.
Dated: December 8, 2015.
Joel Beauvais,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2015-31664 Filed 12-16-15; 8:45 am]
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