Federal Register:
August 22, 2001
[Federal Register: August 22, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 163)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 44107-44109]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22au01-38]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 372
[OEI-100006; FRL 6722-7]
RIN 2025-AA00
Report on the Corrosion of Certain Alloys; Community Right-to-
Know Toxic Chemical Release Reporting
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing the availability of a document titled
``Report on the Corrosion of Certain Alloys'' (``Alloys Report''). The
Alloy Report contains information on the corrosion of stainless steel,
brass, and bronze alloys and the availability of chromium, nickel, and
copper from these alloys. Chromium, nickel, and copper contained in
stainless steel, brass, and bronze alloys are listed toxic chemicals
under section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know
Act of 1986 (EPCRA), and therefore may be reportable pursuant to EPCRA
section 313 and section 6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990
(PPA). EPA is requesting comments on the technical contents of this
document and its conclusions. Depending upon the comments received, EPA
may propose to delist chromium, nickel, and copper when contained in
some or all physical forms of stainless steel, brass and bronze alloys
from the EPCRA section 313 list of toxic chemicals.
DATES: Written comments, identified by the docket control number OEI-
100006, must be received by EPA on or before December 20, 2001.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by mail, electronically, or in
person. Please follow the detailed instructions for each method as
provided in Unit I. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this
document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel R. Bushman, Petitions
Coordinator, (202) 260-3882, e-mail: bushman.daniel@epa.gov, for
specific information on this document, or for more information on EPCRA
section 313, the Emergency Planning and
[[Page 44108]]
Community Right-to-Know Hotline, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail
Code 5101, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, Toll
free: 1-800-535-0202, in Virginia and Alaska: (703) 412-9877 or Toll
free TDD: 1-800-553-7672. Information concerning this notice is also
available on EPA's Web site at http://www.epa.gov/tri.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does This Notice Apply to Me?
You may be interested in this notice if you manufacture, process,
or otherwise use metal alloys. Potentially interested categories and
entities may include, but are not limited to:
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Examples of Potentially Interested
Category Entities
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Industry SIC major group codes 10 (except
1011, 1081, and 1094), 12 (except
1241), or 20 through 39; industry
codes 4911 (limited to facilities
that combust coal and/or oil for
the purpose of generating power for
distribution in commerce); or 4931
(limited to facilities that combust
coal and/or oil for the purpose of
generating power for distribution
in commerce); or 4939 (limited to
facilities that combust coal and/or
oil for the purpose of generating
power for distribution in
commerce); or 4953 (limited to
facilities regulated under the
Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act, subtitle C, 42 U.S.C. section
6921 et seq.), or 5169, or 5171, or
7389 (limited to facilities
primarily engaged in solvent
recovery services on a contract or
fee basis)
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Federal Government Federal facilities
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This table is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a
guide for readers regarding entities likely to be interested in this
notice. Other types of entities not listed in the table could also be
interested. To determine whether your facility may be interested in
this notice, you should carefully examine the applicability criteria in
part 372, subpart B of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. If
you have questions regarding the applicability of this notice to a
particular entity, consult the person listed in the preceding FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
B. How Can I Get Additional Information or Copies of This Document, the
Alloys Report, or Other Support Documents?
1. Electronically. You may obtain electronic copies of this
document from the EPA internet Home Page at http://www.epa.gov/. On the
Home Page select ``Laws and Regulations'' and then look up the entry
for this document under the ``Federal Register--Environmental
Documents.'' You can also go directly to the ``Federal Register''
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/. The Alloys Report is
available for downloading at http://www.epa.gov/tri/.
2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for
this action under docket control number OEI-100006. The official record
consists of the documents specifically referenced in this action, any
public comments received during an applicable comment period, and other
information related to this action, including any information claimed
as confidential business information (CBI). This official record
includes the documents that are physically located in the docket, as
well as the documents that are referenced in those documents. The
public version of the official record does not include any information
claimed as CBI. The public version of the official record, which
includes printed, paper versions of any electronic comments submitted
during an applicable comment period, is available for inspection in the
TSCA Nonconfidential Information Center, North East Mall Rm. B-607,
Waterside Mall, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC. The Center is open from
noon to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The
telephone number of the Center is (202) 260-7099.
C. How and to Whom Do I Submit Comments?
You may submit comments through the mail, in person, or
electronically. Be sure to identify the appropriate docket control
number (i.e., ``OEI-100006'') in your correspondence.
1. By mail. Submit written comments to: Document Control Office
(7407), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
2. In person or by courier. Deliver your comments to: OPPT Document
Control Office (DCO) in East Tower Rm. G-099, Waterside Mall, 401 M
St., SW., Washington, DC. The DCO is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the
DCO is: (202) 260-7093.
3. Electronically. Submit your comments electronically by e-mail
to: ``oppt.ncic@epa.gov.'' Please note that you should not submit any
information electronically that you consider to be CBI. Electronic
comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special
characters and any form of encryption. Comments and data will also be
accepted on standard computer disks in WordPerfect 6.1/8.0 or ASCII
file format. All comments and data in electronic form must be
identified by the docket control number OEI-100006. Electronic comments
on this document may also be filed online at many Federal Depository
Libraries.
D. How Should I Handle CBI Information That I Want to Submit to the
Agency?
You may claim information that you submit in response to this
document as CBI by marking any part or all of that information as CBI.
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2. A copy of the comment that does
not contain CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public record.
Information not marked confidential will be included in the public
docket by EPA without prior notice. If you have any questions about CBI
or the procedures for claiming CBI, please consult with the technical
person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
II. Background Information
A. What Is the Purpose of This Notice?
The purpose of this notice is to make available for comment a
document titled ``Report on the Corrosion of Certain Alloys.'' The
Alloys Report contains information on the corrosion of stainless steel,
brass, and bronze alloys. The report discusses the major types of
environmental conditions and how these environmental conditions can
affect the corrosion resistance of the stainless steel, brass, and
bronze alloys. The Alloys Report focuses on the
[[Page 44109]]
availability of chromium, nickel, and copper from stainless steel,
brass, and bronze alloys as a result of corrosion under environmental
conditions. EPA requests comments on the technical contents and
conclusions of the Alloys Report. Depending upon the comments received,
EPA may propose to delist, pursuant to EPCRA section 313(d)(2),
chromium, nickel, and copper when contained in some or all physical
forms of stainless steel, brass, and bronze alloys from the EPCRA
section 313 list of toxic chemicals.
B. Why Has EPA Prepared the Alloys Report?
Because alloys are solid-solid mixtures, chromium, nickel, copper,
and other EPCRA section 313 listed toxic metals contained in alloys are
subject to EPCRA section 313 and PPA section 6607 reporting. As with
all mixtures in the EPCRA section 313 program, the weight percent of
any listed toxic chemical in an alloy must be factored into threshold
determinations and release and other waste management calculations.
In 1992 EPA received three petitions requesting the delisting of
chromium, nickel, and copper when found in stainless steel, brass, and
bronze from the EPCRA section 313 list of toxic chemicals. The
petitions were from Russell Harrington Cutlery, Inc. (June 12, 1992),
Bath Iron Works Corporation (September 25, 1992), and Stillwater
Fasteners Inc. (October 1, 1992). EPA denied these petitions on June
29, 1993 (58 FR 34738) based on the Agency's determinations that: 1)
Chromium, copper, and nickel meet the listing criteria of EPCRA section
313(d)(2), and 2) corrosion of certain forms (e.g., dusts, grindings,
and shavings) of stainless steel, brass, and bronze alloys can be
reasonably be anticipated to occur under some processing, use, or
disposal situations yielding available forms of these constituent
metals. EPA concluded that the petitioners failed to provide, nor did
EPA possess, any data to support the petitioners' contention that
manufacturing, processing, use, or other activities involving the metal
alloys subject to the petitions would not lead to availability of these
metals.
In the 1993 denial notice EPA requested further comments on the
reporting of chromium, nickel, and copper in stainless steel, brass,
and bronze alloys. Recognizing that certain forms of alloys which have
high surface to volume ratios might corrode more rapidly, EPA
specifically requested comment on whether the reporting of chromium,
copper, and nickel in forms of the alloys with low surface to volume
ratios (e.g., blocks) should be exempted from the reporting
requirements of EPCRA section 313 (58 FR 34741). EPA stated that
depending upon the nature of the information submitted, EPA would
consider proposing a qualification to the EPCRA section 313 listing to
exempt from reporting those forms of an alloy for which data can be
provided that indicate corrosion will not occur. In the comments
received EPA did not receive sufficient information to propose to
delist chromium, nickel, or copper pursuant to EPCRA section 313(d)(2)
when contained in an alloy, regardless of the form of the alloy (i.e.,
add a qualifer). In addition, on October 15, 1993, several months after
the petition denial was published in the Federal Register, a letter was
received by the EPA, from Independent Nail Company requesting that the
Agency delist chromium and nickel when found in Type 304/316 stainless
steel. EPA continued to review this issue, and subsequently developed
the Alloys Report which is being made available today for public
comment.
EPA's evaluation of whether chromium, nickel, and copper in an
alloy may be delisted pursuant to EPCRA section 313(d)(2) entails an
evaluation of all chemical and biological processes that may lead to
the metal's availability from the alloy, as well as on the toxicity
exhibited by the intact species. In this instance, the effects induced
by these metals meet the toxicity criteria under section 313(d)(2). In
order to delist these metals when contained in an alloy, or specific
physical forms of an alloy, competent scientific evidence that
demonstrates that the alloy does not corrode, or specific forms of the
alloy do not corrode, and thereby generate the toxic metal at a level
that can be expected to induce toxicity is required. Depending on the
comments received on this report, EPA will determine whether or not
there are sufficient data to propose to delist, pursuant to EPA's
authority in EPCRA section 313(d)(2), chromium, copper, or nickel when
contained in some or all physical forms of stainless steel, brass, and
bronze alloys (i.e., ``add'' a qualifier to the listing of these toxic
chemicals).
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 372
Environmental protection, Community right-to-know, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, and Toxic chemicals.
Dated: August 2, 2001.
Elaine G. Stanley,
Director, Office of Information Analysis and Access.
[FR Doc. 01-21198 Filed 8-21-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F